The Cleveland Browns latest search for their next head coach is nearing the finish line and it certainly seems like it is Josh McDaniels or bust.
It is Josh McDaniels or bust for the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland is the only team standing after the Panthers and Giants filled their coaching vacancies Tuesday. This leaves Cleveland by themselves with their longtime preferred coach just sitting there waiting to be offered the job.
Yes, there are other coaches available for Cleveland to hire. Kevin Stefanski and Robert Saleh being two names of note. There are also some concerns with both candidates. Both have a very limited amount of time in their current roles. How much of their success is a product of the teams they coach and how much is their actual impact? That is something that is unknown.
With Josh McDaniels, he has been in New England for about a decade and half with brief stints in Denver and St. Louis. There is a longer track record to base his performance off of, and not just the last two seasons to base a decision off of.
Concerns with Josh McDaniels
There are concerns with Josh McDaniels as well. The disaster in Denver is usually the first thing brought up, but that was 10 years ago and McDaniels has learned from his mistakes. If it isn’t Denver, it’s Indy. McDaniels accepted, then declined the Colts coaching offer. Not all of the information is known with how things went down though. What was the status of Andrew Luck? Was McDaniels told something about his future that made him not want to take the job? Did Indy initially present Andrew Luck as their starter only to be told that he was considering retirement a year prior to when he actually did? If that was the case, McDaniels walking away from a situation that is unsettled at quarterback is a bit more understandable.
The final concern is always about what exactly did Josh McDaniels do in New England? The Patriots are a well oiled machine and Bill Belichick is the mastermind of it all. Is McDaniels purely a product of Belichick? Can McDaniels be successful without the comfort of the New England Patriots? These are all questions that the Browns will get answers to during the interview process.
The Browns will have three interviews over the next three days. Jim Schwartz on Wednesday, Kevin Stefanski on Thursday, and Josh McDaniels Friday. The Haslams have wanted Josh McDaniels for a long, long time. Let’s see if they are able to close the deal by Saturday, which is apparently their preferred day to make a hire.
