The Cleveland Browns have long been an unstable franchise. While the hope is that Paul DePodesta, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski have put a stop to that, Jimmy Haslam and the fans need to see consistent winning.
For years, the Browns ran through front office and coaching staffs like most teams go through the 53-man on their roster. The constant turnover is as impressive and is depressing. Very rarely have we seen former coaches from Cleveland make it big following the team’s failures.
Not a single head coach since the return has gotten the top spot on another team. Romeo Crennel did have a stint as the Houston Texans interim head coach.
This offseason, however, has been unique with former Browns assistant coaches rising to the ranks of head coach:
- Brian Daboll – New York Giants
- Matt Eberflus – Chicago Bears
- Kevin O’Connell – Minnesota Vikings (Expected not official)
Even Doug Pederson, recently hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars, was a Cleveland player in 2000.
Now comes word that Mike McDaniel will be the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins:
Sources: Miami is working on a deal with 49ers’ OC Mike McDaniel to be their next head coach.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 6, 2022
Like many of the coaches above, McDaniel’s time in Cleveland was short. He was brought on under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan during Mike Pettine’s regime. McDaniel followed Shanahan out the door after one year, shortly following the infamous PowerPoint presentation.
Of the head coaching hires this offseason, only Josh McDaniels and Nathaniel Hackett were never employed by the Browns. McDaniels was linked multiple times during the team’s numerous head coaching searches and he grew up in the area but has not been employed by the team.
Despite their long-standing struggles over the last couple of decades, the Browns organization is well represented in this year’s head coaching hires. Only New Orleans and Houston have yet to name their next head coach. Josh McCown could join the list of former Cleveland employees getting head coaching jobs as he is a finalist for the Texans job.
