The Cleveland Browns have been busy looking for a new head coach after Kevin Stefanski was fired following a 5-12 season. The Browns just were not able to get things rolling, especially as it pertained to the team’s quarterback situation.
Shedeur Sanders, whom the Browns picked in the 2025 NFL Draft, ended up being the team’s QB1 as the season ended. Cleveland started out 1-5 and never found traction.
NFL Insider Offers Insight Into Browns’ Coach Search
However, finding a new captain of the ship hasn’t proven easy for Browns ownership.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero appeared on Friday’s edition of the “Rich Eisen Show” to break down just what is happening in Cleveland, which has included candidates the team had noteworthy interest in opting to pull their names from consideration.
“First of all, I would say Andrew Berry (executive vice president of football operations and general manager of the Browns) is the last person who is just going to interview somebody solely to fulfill the Rooney Rule,” Pelissero said. “If he’s conducting the interview, he wants it to be with someone who’s a real candidate.
“Mike McDaniel would have fulfilled that,” Pelissero said of the former Miami Dolphins head coach, who is in line to become the new offensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“He decided that he just didn’t want to follow through coming off his initial Zoom here,” Pelissero told Eisen. “So, that’s one factor. You’re right. They’re the only team that has not conducted a single qualifying interview. That’ll change, or is scheduled to change, next week when they have a second interview with Nate Scheelhaase from the Rams.
“I would just say this,” Pelissero continued. “The Browns’ search process and interview process, which they’ve run a number of times, is unlike any other in the NFL. And it plays to certain types of candidates. They are a data-driven operation in Cleveland. And so, they spend an extraordinary amount of time gathering data on their coaching candidates.”
Pelissero indicated that the Browns ask their candidates to take a personality test and write an essay, among other things.
Does anyone want to be the #DawgPound head coach?!#NFL pic.twitter.com/O3Pn2yVg6d
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) January 23, 2026
The Browns also require candidates to complete homework as they enter the first- and second-round interviews. Eisen, who also works for NFL Network, seemed perplexed that the Browns would make coaching candidates do all of this.
Pelissero added that the interview process is almost like a preview of what the next Browns’ head coach would be required to do. According to the PFSN NFL Offense Impact metrics, which are measured through the regular season, the Browns had a 52.0 impact score and graded out to an F.
For now, the Browns continue their coaching search. It’s not clear who Cleveland will pick, but the new head coach probably will be someone who crunches numbers and data on a regular basis.
