© Jeff Lange/Imagn
There are several reasons why someone would be wary about becoming the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
After all, the franchise has made the playoffs just three times in the 21st century. It has never won the AFC North since the division’s inception in 2002, and the organization currently has no idea who its starting quarterback is going to be moving forward.
However, despite all of those very valid reasons for concerns, it’s another, more self-inflicted cause that has kept the Browns from finding a head coach for the 2026 season and beyond.
The Cleveland Browns Refuse To Part Ways With Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz
According to Jared Mueller of Dawgs By Nature, the Browns have swung and missed on several head coaching candidates because they have insisted that Jim Schwartz remain with the team as the defensive coordinator.
“From what I am hearing, Jimmy Haslam is pretty hell-bent on keeping Jim Schwartz as the DC. While that, keeping Schwartz, may not be an overall issue, the forcing nature of it is a concern for many candidates. Grant Udinski, for example, had a different DC in mind. Scheelhaase has another option, maybe not as strong as Udinski.”
Now, Schwartz has done a solid job in his three years in Cleveland. The Browns ranked fifth in total defense this past season and led the league in 2023, although they ranked just 18th in 2024. And he won a Super Bowl as the defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, although his defense conceded 33 points in that game.
But Schwartz isn’t so invaluable that you should limit your potential hiring pool for him.
However, it appears Browns’ owner Jimmy Haslam disagrees. So much so, even, that Schwartz himself has become a head coaching candidate for the organization, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com
One league source tells me tonight that DC Jim Schwartz seems to be gaining momentum in the #Browns head coach search. Stay tuned.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) January 27, 2026
Schwartz previously served as the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009-2013, when he went a combined 29-51 and finished over-.500 just one time.
But hey, maybe the second time is the charm? And if not, what difference does it make for the Cleveland Browns, who have been perpetual losers for the better part of the 21st century?