The Cleveland Browns are expected to interview former Baltimore Ravens head coach Jim Harbaugh next week.

After moving on from head coach Kevin Stefanski after six seasons, the Browns should be searching for a true leader of men and culture setter to take the organization through its next chapter.

In many ways, Harbaugh will likely be interviewing the Browns when the two parties meet this week. The Super Bowl winner will have genuine questions about the team’s direction, lack of offensive talent and the perpetual question at quarterback.

But Cleveland’s pitch to Harbaugh should be simple.

Browns defense is ready to go.

The Browns played the Ravens twice last season, as they do every year as AFC North foes. In the first meeting, Browns QB Joe Flacco was dreadful, but Cleveland’s defense held Derrick Henry to just 23 yards and sacked Lamar Jackson three times. The defense was just as dominant in the second meeting, where they sacked Jackson five times and intercepted him twice.

All of those key defensive players will be returning to the Browns. According to reports, the team would also prefer to keep defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, the architect for that success.

By Harbaugh’s own admission, the Browns also employ one of the best defensive players of this generation in Myles Garrett, who just broke the single-season sack record and is about to win consecutive Defensive Player of the Year honors.

“Never been more talented or more dangerous players that you have to block who can single handedly wreck any play,” Harbaugh said of Garrett prior to their Week 11 matchup, a game in which Garrett had four sacks.

Browns GM Andrew Berry is coming off of his best draft class ever.

Key defensive stars including linebacker Carson Schwesinger and defensive tackle Mason Graham turned heads all season. Teams hardly ever threw towards Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, and Berry’s trade for Tyson Campbell was a seamless fit.

Offensively, Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson proved to be a palatable replacement for Nick Chubb.

All of these players are under contract long term, giving Harbaugh a foundation to work with.

Cleveland’s QB situation might not be that bad.

While many will point at Cleveland’s question mark at quarterback, and a lack of a ramp to draft a premium first-rounder in 2026, it was Harbaugh that wanted to draft polarizing rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the fifth-round.

Sanders rejected the Ravens, allowing the Browns to trade up in front of the Philadelphia Eagles to select him. In limited action during his rookie season, Sanders passed the eye test, proving he’s capable of winning games, even with a major lack of talent surrounding him.

The Browns have two first-round picks in April’s draft, where they will have 10 selections overall. That’s a decent war chest for an aggressive Berry and Harbaugh to make some moves to inject this roster with offensive talent.

Not to mention, does Harbaugh really want to go to the New York Giants? Jaxson Dart was often injured during his rookie season, and even the Giants were contemplating quarterbacks in the 2026 class. Do you really want to coach that in a division with the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders?

Harbaugh is an Ohio guy.

Born in Toledo, Harbaugh was raised in a Browns home. In 2018, he admitted that he grew up rooting for the Browns and Cleveland Guardians with his brother, Jim, who is the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

While the Browns haven’t had any sustained success since the team moved to Baltimore, if the 63-year old coach came to Cleveland, he’d have an opportunity to stick it to the Ravens for letting him go twice per year.

Because of the lack of success, it would be very easy for Harbaugh to cement himself as the greatest coach in the history of the Browns, an organization that is still searching for their first Super Bowl.

If Harbaugh could deliver, he’d have a statue built outside of the team’s new superdome opening in 2029.

Does Cleveland’s lead job have flaws? Absolutely it does. But so does every other opening.

But Cleveland gives Harbaugh has an opportunity to put an exclamation point on a legendary career in the NFL.