After firing Kevin Stefanski, the Cleveland Browns are looking for a new head coach. However, they seemed to have run into some unforeseen trouble with their top candidate.

John Harbaugh is someone who seems to be on the Cleveland's priority list after getting fired from the Ravens after 18 years. Unfortunately, Harbaugh may not be in a hurry to sit down with the Browns' management.

NFL expert, Adam Schefter, reported on X, "Former Ravens HC John Harbaugh is not expected to conduct any head coach interviews until next week."

Soon after the Ravens fired him, the ESPN analyst reported that Harbaugh’s agent, Bryan Harlan, received calls from seven teams interested in Harbaugh in the first 45 minutes after his firing. Now, many thought the Browns would be among those callers.

There are multiple reasons why he might be just the perfect thing that they need. He's a great talent, having led the Ravens to 12 playoff berths in 18 seasons, Super Bowl XLVII, and six AFC North division championships.

He is among the few NFL coaches to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons. Plus, he was born in Cleveland, grew up as a fan of the Browns, and has admitted it from time to time that his immediate family is “hardcore Browns fans.”

Although the Browns Have Started Calling Other Candidates

While Harbaugh does remain a perfect piece of the puzzle, he is that for many other teams as well. As a result, Cleveland is keeping their options open and has started scheduling other interviews.

Browns expert, Mary Kay Cabot, has reported via X, "Browns interviewing DC Jim Schwartz and OC Tommy Rees on Thursday for their head coach vacancy."

Jim Schwartz is someone who has had tremendous success with the Browns' defense. He guided Myles Garrett to set the NFL single-season sack record with 23 sacks and the team to a franchise record of 53. Under him, the team had the NFL’s best defense in 2023.

They allowed the fewest yards per game (270.2), gave up the fewest first downs, and held opponents to a league-low 29.1% on third down, making it extremely hard for offenses to stay on the field. While his first time as HC with the Lions was not so great, the Browns might give him a second chance.

On the flip side, the offense struggled badly, but the team might view 33-year-old Tommy Rees as a young, up-and-coming offensive mind with experience across both college football and the NFL. Who's your pick?

Written by

Reyansh Dubey

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi