Cleveland Browns head coaching search: Grant Udinski withdraws his name

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a surprising development on Monday morning, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski has withdrawn from the Browns head coaching search, a league source told cleveland.com.

Udinski, who turned 30 on Jan. 12, is still in the mix for the Bills head coaching vacancy and will get a significant raise from the Jaguars if he remains there as coordinator, the source said.

He was believed to be a frontrunner for the job, and is the third Browns candidate to remove himself from consideration, following former Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who took the Ravens head coach gig the same day he was supposed to have his second interview with the Browns.

Udinski was one of five remaining candidates, along with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, and Commanders running backs coach/run game coordinator Anthony Lynn.

Of that group, Scheelhaase, 35, seems to have the edge if he can convince the Browns today he’s ready for the job.

The Browns are currently in Los Angeles interviewing him after the Rams lost to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night. It marks Scheelhaase’s second interview, and also helps the Browns satisfy the Rooney Rule, which stipulates that they must interview two diverse candidates in person before making their hire. The first was Lynn, the former Chargers head coach and former Browns running backs coach.

The Browns must determine today if Scheelhaase, 35, is ready to be the leader of the young team and take it to the next level. He’s only been in the NFL for two seasons, and has never been a coordinator or called plays.

But he’s been described by some as “the next Sean McVay,” which is one of the highest compliments a coach in the NFL can receive these days.

If Scheelhaase can convince the Browns he can command the room full of players and lead the staff, he has a decent chance to get the job. But Schwartz and Monken are still very much in the mix. Lynn, who was a late addition to the pool on Saturday, is not out of it yet either.

Udinski would’ve been the youngest coach ever hired in the NFL, even younger than McVay, who was hired at 30 years and 353 days. He might be best served by working with Trevor Lawrence for another year or two, and possibly even calling plays before taking a head job. But the Bills just might decide he’s ready for the opportunity.

The Browns saw to it that Monken, who’s spent the past three seasons as Ravens coordinator, made sure he knew he was still in the mix to hopefully prevent him from taking the Giants offensive coordinator job yet under John Harbaugh. The feeling was that Udinski and Scheelhaase had to demonstrate they were ready for this big leap or the Browns would turn to Monken or Schwartz.

Although Scheelhaase hasn’t called plays or been a coordinator in the NFL, he’s McVay’s drawer of plays, which has been a precursor to the head job for coaches like the Bengals’ Zac Taylor and the Jaguars’ Liam Coen.

Scheelhaase also starred as a dual-threat quarterback at Illinois from 2009-13, finishing as the all-time leader in total offense with 10,634 yards – which ranks seventh in Big Ten history. He’s one of just two players in Big Ten history to total over 8,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards during his collegiate career, and was the only quarterback in Illini history to win back-to-back bowl games. His QB experience is highly-valued on a team committed to finding the right quarterback of the future over the next couple of seasons.

But the Browns must have a comfort level that Scheelhaase can handle all the demands of the job, including all of the adversity a head coach must face on a day-to-day basis. If Scheelhaase nails his interview, he could possibly get an offer by today or tomorrow.

In the event he gets the job, the Browns will support him with a strong staff including some senior advisors and experienced coordinators. The hope on their part is that Schwartz, who’s under contract through this season, will remain as defensive coordinator and keep the Browns’ premier defense going strong.

There’s also a world in which Monken could land the job and keep Schwartz on as coordinator, which would give them the only experienced playcaller among their offensive finalists.

Monken, 35, has taken the Ravens offense to an elite level over the past three seasons and coached Lamar Jackson to his second NFL MVP award in 2023.

The Browns would also be proud to announce Schwartz as their next head coach if they decide he’s the best man for the job. Schwartz and Lynn are the only two remaining candidates with head coaching experience.

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