Here’s our look at who we believe could be the top contenders, whose odds are long and a few the Browns should stay away from as the search moves through its first week.
Everyone seems to be looking for the next Sean McVay and Campbell could fit the profile this year. Campbell went 5-7 as the interim coach for the Dolphins in 2015 after Miami fired Joe Philbin in-season. Campbell’s experience working under Sean Payton and with Drew Brees could make him a quality fit to come to Cleveland to work with Baker Mayfield and the Browns.
McCarthy’s resume is impeccable: 9 playoff berths, 6 division titles, 4 NFC championship game appearances and a Super Bowl XLV victory in just over 12 ½ seasons but he seemed to lose his magic with Aaron Rodgers the last 2 years, which contributed to his firing. If McCarthy could bring that type of success to the Browns, sign us up now.
It stands to reason that Kitchens will be an offensive coordinator at worst in 2019 and on the fast track to a head coaching job this year or within the next 2, so why not after the work he did this year, take a good hard look at him in Cleveland? Kitchens empowered his players, including Mayfield who completed 68.4 percent of his passes with 19 touchdowns, 8 interceptions and the amount of sacks dropped from 20 in 6 games to 5 over the final 8. If Dorsey projects Kitchens to be a head coach within a year or 2, maybe hire him now.
Gase reportedly saw his relationship with owner Stephen Ross deteriorate this year and he at times lost his players – see current Browns receiver Jarvis Landry as exhibit A. While players can’t pick the coach, his inability to work with ownership and some within his locker room should scare the Browns away. How would Gase deal with Jimmy Haslam on the practice field regularly if he couldn’t even deal with Ross? Internal clashes – aside from losing – have led to the demise of every regime under the Haslams ownership. Do they really want to hire someone who reportedly didn’t seem to play well with others in Miami?
After flaming out in spectacular fashion and not even lasting a full 2 years as head coach in Denver, McDaniels ran back to his safe haven in New England after a stop with the Rams in 2011 as offensive coordinator. Picking from the Bill Belichick coaching tree is a dangerous proposition because the fruit is often poisonous. Bill O’Brien of the Texans is the exception, not the rule. Let’s not forget the unprofessional way McDaniels handled the courtship from the Indianapolis Colts last January either. Although McDaniels was born in Barberton, Ohio and a product of Canton McKinley and John Carroll, enough with that storyline being a driving force as to why he should be hired by the Browns. Thanks, but no thanks.
Flores has worked his way up the ranks under Belichick since 2004 where he started as a scouting assistant for 2 years. In 2006 he was promoted to pro scout, a special teams assistant in 2008-09, assistant offense/special teams in 2010, defensive assistant in 2011, safeties coach from 2012-15, linebackers coach from 2016-17 and defensive coordinator this year. Despite our respect for how he’s worked his way up the ladder, see the previous note about the Belichick tree. You just can’t trust it.
Williams did yeoman’s work over the final 8 games of the season as interim head coach bringing together the locker room and coaching staff to win 5 of 8 games, but there’s a difference between being tasked with salvaging a season and being handed the keys to the franchise for the next 3-5 or more years. Williams deserves credit and praise for the work he did but we’re not sold it was enough to win him the job.
Caldwell started off hot with the Colts in his first season back in 2009 losing to the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV, but despite a combined record of 62-50 as an NFL head coach in Indianapolis and Detroit, Caldwell never advanced past Wild Card weekend in his 3 subsequent playoff appearances. No need to see if the third time will be the charm for him.