Cleveland

Browns

Udinski, 30, completed his second interview with the Browns today. The young candidate piloted an offense that ranked top-12 in yards per pass play (7.15) during the regular season. He is also expected to interview for the Bills’ head-coaching vacancy.

According to Fowler, “interest in Udinski is real” for the Browns. Fowler said the Browns are still expected to meet with Rams assistant Nate Scheelhaase next week before making any decisions, but Udinski will have a good chance to make an early impression. In his first season as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator, Udinski helped lead the team to the sixth-highest scoring offense in the league, while Trevor Lawrence enjoyed a career-year that put him in the MVP conversation. Udinski turned 30 earlier this month and would become the youngest head coach hired in NFL history should the Browns give him the job.

In a span of three days, Minter and former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel have withdrawn from the Browns’ head-coaching sweepstakes. Both individuals had advanced to the second round of interviews. Shortly after Minter canceled today’s meeting, former Browns head coach and current Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski rehired former Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. Collectively, all three moves reflect poorly on the Browns’ organization in an “it’s not me, it’s you” type of way. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reports that Minter is believed to be in serious consideration for other head-coaching jobs. He interviewed with the Ravens for a second time yesterday, which reportedly “went very well.”

Rees interviewed for the Browns’ vacant head coaching job but did not receive a second meeting with the team. His days in Cleveland were numbered after the team chose to go in a different direction at head coach. The good news for Rees is that his former boss, Kevin Stefanski, just so happened to be looking for an offensive coordinator for his new job as Atlanta’s head coach. As expected, Stefanski is bringing several Browns staffers with him to the Falcons. It’s unclear who will call plays for Atlanta in 2026. Stefanski initially called plays for the Browns but eventually handed those duties off to Rees late in the 2025 season. Neither play-caller found much success, though Cleveland’s abhorrent quarterback room played a major part in that failure.

It sounds like he is no longer a candidate for their head-coaching vacancy. The Browns are said to be targeting a young candidate for the role, though Schultz notes that the team is not sure how Schartz would “react” to such a hire. The Browns have a win-now defense. It is possible that Schwartz is not interested in waiting around to see if an unproven candidate pans out.

Schultz notes that the situation is “very fluid” and that there is “a good chance they add another name or two to the mix.” Scheelhaase will reportedly have his second interview with the team next week. The Browns are said to be targeting a young head coach. Scheelhaase, 35, fits the bill.

Schultz also said that there is “a good chance they add another name or two to the mix” and described the situation as “very fluid,” which seemingly runs counter to Udinski’s “finalist” label. Regardless, the Browns reportedly prefer to hire a young head coach. Udinski, 30, will have his second interview with the team on Friday.

McDaniel, who is no sure-fire shot to get a head-coaching job though he’s still a candidate with the Ravens and Raiders, is interviewing for the Chargers offensive coordinator job today. It doesn’t look great for the Browns that they couldn’t convince McDaniel to come in for a second interview given the fact that he may be looking at settling into an offensive coordinator spot. Still on the Browns list for second interviews are: Jaguars OC Grant Udinski, Rams passing-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, former Ravens OC Todd Monken and Chargers DC Jesse Minter.

With the Rams advancing to the NFC Championship Game after Sunday’s win over the Bears, the Browns will be restricted from interviewing Scheelhaase until next Monday at the earliest. The 35-year-old coach has met with several teams this hiring cycle, but any teams seriously considering hiring Scheelhaase will have to delay all hiring decisions by a week as the postseason continues to play out. Scheelhaase first joined the Rams in 2024 and was elevated to pass game coordinator ahead of this season. The latest coveted coach off the Sean McVay coaching tree could soon land a head coaching job if he and the Rams continue their impressive postseason run.

McDaniel is one of three head coaching canddiates to land a second interview with the Browns, along with Chargers DC Jesse Minter and Rams passing game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase. McDaniel has interviewed for a number of jobs since the Dolphins fired him in early January after three seasons at the helm in Miami. He could have his choice of jobs in the coming days, including the Eagles’ offensive coordinator position.