CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – May the Schwartz be with the Browns, again.
Tennessee Titans senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz will be hired to replace Joe Woods as the team’s defensive coordinator as he returns to where his career began – Cleveland.
The team is expected to make the announcement as soon as his contract is finalized.
Schwartz, a former personnel scout for the Browns from 1993-1995, has spent his entire coaching career as an assistant working on the defensive side of the football.
This will be the fourth defensive coordinator job for Schwartz – Tennessee from 2001-2008, Buffalo in 2014 and Philadelphia from 2016-2020
Schwartz also spent five years as head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009-2013 where he led them to the playoffs in his third season with a 10-6 finish in 2011.
In addition to inheriting an 0-16 Lions team and ending an 11-year playoff drought, Schwartz won the Super Bowl in 2018 with the Eagles as their defensive coordinator.
Browns executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry got to see Schwartz at work in 2019 when Berry worked in Philadelphia.
Schwartz was also a head coaching candidate during the Browns 2020 search that resulted in Kevin Stefanski.
Schwartz, whose fiery personality should compliment the stoic Stefanski, has a history of turning defensive units around in rapid fashion.
In Philadelphia, the Eagles ranked 30th in yards and 28th in points prior to his arrival. They improved to 13th and 12th respectively in his first year and fourth in both during his second season. During the Super Bowl title season, the Eagles ranked first against the run and fourth in takeaways.
With the Bills, Schwartz helped Buffalo end the 2014 season ranked fourth in the NFL in points and yards allowed per game while ranking third in takeaways.
Schwartz entered the NFL coaching ranks with Art Modell’s move to Baltimore in 1996 as the Ravens outside linebackers coach.
After leaving Baltimore, Schwartz spent nine years with the Titans, the last eight of them as their defensive coordinator before the Lions hired him as head coach.
The Browns requested to interview four other candidates – Steelers senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach Brian Flores, Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, Eagles defensive pass game coordinator Dennard Wilson as well as Seahawks associate head coach and defensive assistant Sean Desai.
Mayo withdrew from consideration and did not go through with an interview after the Patriots agreed to redo his contract late last week.
The Browns fired Woods following a 28-14 loss to the Steelers to cap a disappointing 7-10 season that saw the defense struggle with communication, stopping the run and regular breakdowns in the secondary.