Jimmy and Dee Haslam finally made the decision to cut ties with the Cleveland Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski, on Black Monday. The team had 12 losses this season and 14 last year. And now comes the portion of the franchise where his replacement will be hired. But who? And from where?
RELATED: HARBAUGH TO BROWNS? A FEW REASONS CLEVELAND SHOULD BE IN THE RUNNING
Should the new guy be an offensive-minded coach who can groom young quarterbacks? Currently, the Browns have two of those on their roster,
and they just might select another in April’s NFL draft. Maybe a guy who has strong defensive tendencies, since Cleveland has one of the best defenses in the league? A young mind? A guy who has decades of experience? A former head coach or a guy who will roam the sidelines for the first time as an NFL head coach?
But in today’s NFL, if you notice, something is going on every month. This is by design.
And as the playoffs are set to begin, for some clubs, the hot topic going around is who is going to be their team’s next head coach? The league never stops moving.
A recent firing seems almost unbelievable. The Baltimore Ravens waited an extra day and let go of their head coach, John Harbaugh, late Tuesday afternoon. No, really. He was their head man for 18 years, went to the playoffs 12 seasons, captured six division crowns, and won a Super Bowl title. What more does a coach have to do to keep his job?
It has been reported that Harbaugh’s agent received seven calls from NFL clubs inquiring about getting the coach a new deal. Seven teams have head coaching openings, including Baltimore, so somebody is not happy with their current head coaching situation.
Already, clubs such as the New York Football Giants have been mentioned as the most likely landing place for Harbaugh. This much is certain: he won’t be accepting any coordinator jobs. And then again, he might want to pull a Sean Payton, take a year off, then choose his vacancy to suit his needs. Or go the Bill Cowher route, take an analyst job, and never go back.
Harbaugh was a special teams coach before taking over in Baltimore. For the past decade, the Ravens have always had great defenses. It has been mentioned that the Browns’ defense is already a strong group, so for Harbaugh, he may see that the defensive core is intact without having to rebuild the entire group from scratch, as he would with other teams that have head coaching vacancies.
For now, Harbaugh, age 63, isn’t saying if he is or isn’t going to be on some teams’ sidelines in 2026. Let’s just assume he will. So, why not the Browns? Why not come home to Ohio?
Harbaugh has ties to Ohio and Michigan. His parents grew up Browns fans.
Harbaugh is a former defensive back and has always taken pride in this position group. Cleveland has Grant Delpit, Ronnie Hickman, and the youngster Donovan McMillan at the safety position, plus the Pro Bowler Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell waiting at cornerback.
Defensively, the Browns ranked #4 overall and #3 in pass defense. The defensive backfield is already a great group just waiting on Harbaugh’s tweaks here and there.
Harbaugh has always been a cold-weather guy. He went to Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan and attended Miami of Ohio as a defensive back.
His coaching stints include Western Michigan, University of Pittsburgh, Morehead State, University of Cincinnati, Indiana University, the Philadelphia Eagles and finally the Ravens.
See a trend? Not a single domed stadium, a California school, or being employed in a warm climate. If this were to continue, that would eliminate Atlanta, Arizona, and Las Vegas. Probably Nashville as well, since Tennessee is considered a Southern state. Obviously, Baltimore is out. That leaves New York City and the Browns.
Does Harbaugh really want to deal with that New York media? This means that Cleveland is perfect for him.
Plus, he would remain in the AFC North Division and would have two games annually to seek out his vengeance against the club that thought he wasn’t a good football coach any longer.
Now, Harbaugh would have to solve the offense. And in doing so, bring in a guy who could control everything on that side of the ball. Just so happens that his OC in Baltimore, Todd Monken, is also unemployed. In fact, Baltimore has a full coaching staff looking for work, including Chuck Pagano. It is already known that Cleveland will be spending plenty on the offense.
Harbaugh has always had a stud at the tight end position, and the Browns have David Njoku and Harold Fannin, who was recently named to the ESPN All-Rookie Team.
A big plus for Harbaugh is that the Browns are selecting high in every round of the April NFL draft. They have the #6 overall pick, the seventh choice in Round 2 (#39), and the #6 selection (#70) in the third round.
