The Cleveland Browns may wind up keeping this one in house. That's because defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is set to receive a second interview for the head coaching job with the team, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
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The follow-up meeting appears to be more than procedural. Albert Breer of The MMQB added that Schwartz should be viewed as a legitimate candidate as the process moves forward.
Schwartz was not widely expected to land a head coaching job this cycle, though his name tends to surface most offseasons. Cleveland knows him better than most. He has been the Browns' defensive coordinator since 2023 and has overseen consistently strong units during that stretch, a major reason he remains firmly in the mix.
I would not sleep on Jim Schwartz in the Browns search. https://t.co/CsZ1idTjR3
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 16, 2026
This is not Schwartz's first go-round with the position. He previously interviewed for the Browns' head coaching job and has NFL experience leading a team. Schwartz spent five seasons as head coach of the Detroit Lions, taking over in the aftermath of their 0-16 season. He guided the Lions to the playoffs by 2011 but struggled to sustain that success, finishing with a 29-51 record and one winning season.
Schwartz is not viewed as the favorite, but the Browns are clearly giving him a serious look. An internal promotion remains very much on the table.
Cleveland fired former coach Kevin Stefanski, a two-time Coach of the Year winner, following another season in the toilet.
As an aside, you wouldn't think they'd need to interview Schwartz twice. I mean, shouldn't they already know who he is?
