Browns Request Interview With Vikings’ George Paton
The Browns requested permission to interview Vikings assistant GM George Paton for their GM vacancy, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Paton worked in Minnesota with new Vikings head coach Kevin Stefanski, so he’d be a logical fit for the job.
Paton has been a prominent GM candidate in the last few offseason cycles, though he has also pulled his name from consideration on multiple occasions, including the Jets’ search that resulted in Mike Maccagnan‘s hire in 2015. Late last offseason, after the Jets canned Maccagnan, he rejected their offer to interview for the third time in his career.
When Paton said no to Gang Green, it was speculated that he was wary of the team’s internal discord and complicated power structure. The same could be said of the Browns, though his relationship with Stefanski could sway him. Indeed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Paton will interview for the Browns’ gig.
On Monday morning, Colts executive Ed Dodds turned down the Browns’ invitation to interview. Meanwhile, former Browns exec and current Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry figures to be a top candidate.
Updated 2020 NFL Draft Order
The stage has been set for the conference championships. The Titans, Chiefs, 49ers, and Packers are moving on to the semifinals, while the Texans, Seahawks, Ravens, and Vikings will begin planning for the offseason ahead. Unfortunately for the Texans, their first round pick belongs to the Dolphins.
Here’s an updated look at the 2020 NFL Draft order from Nos. 1-28:
1. Bengals (2-14)
2. Redskins (3-13)
3. Lions (3-12-1)
4. Giants (4-12)
5 Dolphins (5-11)
6. Chargers (5-11)
7. Panthers (5-11)
8. Cardinals (5-10-1)
9. Jaguars (6-10)
10. Browns (6-10)
11. Jets (7-9)
12. Raiders (7-9)
13. Colts (7-9)
14. Buccaneers (7-9)
15. Broncos (7-9)
16. Falcons (7-9)
17. Cowboys (8-8)
18. Dolphins (via Steelers 8-8)
19. Raiders (via Bears 8-8)
20. Jaguars (via Rams 9-7)
21. Eagles (9-7)
22. Bills (10-6)
23. Patriots (12-4)
24. Saints (13-3)
25. Vikings (10-6)
26. Dolphins (via Texans 10-6)
27. Seahawks (11-5)
28. Ravens (14-2)
Ed Dodds Declines Browns Interview
Over the weekend, the Browns requested an interview with Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds, making him the first known candidate in their GM search. However, Dodds has declined the invite, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
Dodds, Pelissero hears, feels there is unfinished business in Indy. Speculatively, one has to wonder if he might also have some reservations about the power structure in Cleveland. The Browns fired Freddie Kitchens after one (disappointing) season at the helm and parted ways with GM John Dorsey despite some savvy moves on Dorsey’s part to restock the roster.
The new structure will see new head coach Kevin Stefanski and the GM TBD each report directly to Haslam. Meanwhile, chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta is expected to carry significant influence in the front office.
Eagles exec and old friend Andrew Berry is also in the mix for the GM job and could be the favorite to land it.
Latest On Browns’ Coaching & GM Search
The Browns have their new head coach in Kevin Stefanski, but they still need a new GM after firing John Dorsey. They recently requested an interview with Eagles exec Andrew Berry, and Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets that he’s “at the front of the GM candidates.”
Robinson notes that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam once said he considered Berry a future GM, and that he has a relationship with chief strategist Paul DePodesta. In a separate tweet, Robinson explains that it may come down to whether or not Berry wants to take the job. He notes that Berry, who used to work in Cleveland under former GM Sashi Brown, is only 32 and in a good situation in Philly. He also writes that Berry will likely get other calls if he passes on the job.
As for the search that ultimately ended in Stefanski, Robinson has some interesting new nuggets. He tweets that Josh McDaniels “wanted a specific structure with the Browns” and that he “wasn’t going to an org where DePodesta or anyone else was a ‘side jury’ reporting to Haslam.” If that’s the case, then it sounds like McDaniels never got too close to landing in Cleveland despite his lengthy visit. The Browns and Haslam have caught plenty of flak for their odd reporting structures, and it sounds like that was an issue once again this time around.
Robinson also tweets that both Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh “had very good interviews” and that he thinks they were the finalists along with Stefanski. Both should be hot names during next cycle. As for Stefanski’s staff, Robinson tweets that the rookie head coach will likely target either Gary or Klint Kubiak. The Kubiaks were on staff with Stefanski in Minnesota, although Robinson thinks the Vikings will try to retain both. Either could be a candidate to be Cleveland’s new OC assuming Stefanski hires one.
Finally, Robinson tweeted about the future prospects for assistant GM Eliot Wolf and VP of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith. He thinks the Haslams are open to both staying, and that Wolf will have a conversation with whoever the new GM is about a role.
Browns Request GM Interview With Eagles’ Andrew Berry
The Browns are interested in bringing Andrew Berry back to Cleveland. They requested an interview with the Eagles’ vice president of football operations, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
With Berry being part of the Browns’ new-age front office experiment, along with Sashi Brown and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta, this certainly loomed as a possibility. The Eagles hired Berry in February of last year.
The prospect of a Berry-DePodesta reunion surfaced earlier this week. DePodesta is seeking an analytically oriented coach, and Berry would make sense as a GM for this approach. Prior to becoming a the Colts’ pro scouting coordinator and the Browns’ VP of player personnel, Berry graduated from Harvard with an economics degree. He has a computer science master’s.
Despite the Browns wanting to hire their head coach before their GM, front office candidates have emerged. Cleveland is slated to interview Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds. Seahawks execs Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer are on the radar as well. So is Bills assistant GM Joe Schoen, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (on Twitter).
Reuniting DePodesta and Berry would be an interesting move for a Browns franchise that hit its low point during their previous time together. Cleveland went an NFL-record 1-31 in this duo’s first two years working with Brown and Hue Jackson. Both Berry and DePodesta were on board for a 2018 Browns draft that included Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward and Nick Chubb. But since-departed GM John Dorsey held the most influence in that process.
Brian Daboll, Robert Saleh Remain In Mix For Browns Job
The Browns interviewed Josh McDaniels on Friday to (seemingly) wrap up their eight-candidate run of meetings. The buzz at the work week’s end fixated on the Patriots offensive coordinator and Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski, but this weekend, other names remain in the mix.
Bills OC Brian Daboll is the sleeper in this process, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen, who notes Daboll gave a strong interview earlier this week (Twitter link). Additionally, 49ers DC Robert Saleh is not off the radar either. Saleh and Stefanski have been most connected to this job recently, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter).
Saleh and Stefanski will match up in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, and the loser of said showdown will be eligible to accept Cleveland’s offer immediately. While the Browns would have to wait to hire the winner in this matchup, they are not competing against any other team to fill their HC post. The Browns were believed to want to wrap up this search by today, but Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes that the team now seeks to table that decision until after divisional-round weekend (Twitter link).
McDaniels left Cleveland without a deal in place, which could be an ominous sign for his chances of securing his job with his hometown franchise. The northeast Ohio native has interviewed for this job three times since 2009. Stefanski wowed Browns brass during last year’s coaching search, but the John Dorsey-led search included Jimmy Haslam preferring Freddie Kitchens. Paul DePodesta, who is piloting this year’s search, has a good relationship with Eagles DC Jim Schwartz. But the former Lions HC’s momentum may have cooled.
Browns To Interview Ed Dodds For GM Opening
We’ve got our first known candidate for the Browns’ general manager vacancy. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the organization has requested permission to interview Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds. Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets that the Colts have granted the Browns permission to interview the executive.
Perhaps even more notably, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Browns head coaching candidate (and current 49ers defensive coordinator) Robert Saleh showed interest in being paired with Dodds in Cleveland. Saleh and Dodds both worked together during their stint in Seattle. Rapoport adds that
Dodds was considered one of the top scouts in the NFL during his 10 seasons in Seattle. During his time with the Seahawks, he served in a variety of roles, including senior personnel executive. Dodds joined the Colts back in 2017, and he was promoted to assistant GM the following year.
We heard earlier today that the organization was starting to ramp up their efforts to find a replacement for John Dorsey, who the team parted ways with in late December. While the order of operations may sound a bit weird, the Browns had always planned to complete their head coaching search before hiring a GM.
Dodds is the first known contender for the GM opening, and it sounds like the Browns organization has an affinity for former Seahawks executives. We previously heard that Seattle’s co-directors of player personnel, Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer, are two well-respected executives who could emerge as leading candidates for the GM gig. Rapoport tweets that the duo could also be paired with Saleh, as could 49ers vice president of player personnel Adam Peters.
Latest On Browns GM Search
It’s been a few weeks since the Browns moved on from general manager John Dorsey, and it sounds like the organization is starting to ramp up their efforts in finding his replacement. Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets that the team has “started reference checks and working on permission” to interview potential candidates.
As Breer notes, it’s been the team’s plan all along to find a head coach before hiring a GM. Of course, Breer cautions that this doesn’t mean the Browns have zeroed in on any one coaching candidate. Rather, if the organization has settled on two or three candidates (Breer suggests Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski, Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, and 49ers DC Robert Saleh), they can start to get the ball rolling on their other major opening.
The Browns parted ways with Dorsey at the end of December. Since that time, we heard that Seattle’s co-directors of player personnel, Trent Kirchner and Scott Fitterer, are two well-respected executives who could emerge as leading candidates for the GM opening.
Browns chief strategist Paul DePodesta is one of the few holdovers in Cleveland. The onetime assistant general manager of the Oakland Athletics is spearheading the Browns head coach search, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, but is not under contract with the team beyond next week. With that said, DePodesta is still wanted in Cleveland and the team may want to extend the executive at the same time of the team’s general manager and head coaching hires to put the organization on the same page.
Latest On Browns' Coaching Search
Josh McDaniels left his Browns visit without a deal, and the latest word is that Cleveland will take the weekend to mull things over. While they’ve been careful not to tip their hand too much, Michael Lombardi of The Athletic tweets that it’s not a good sign McDaniels went back home without a contract. Lombardi was the first to suggest that now former Browns GM John Dorsey might be in danger, so he’s certainly plugged into the situation. A report from earlier this morning indicated that McDaniels, Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski, and Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz were the three finalists, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets that “multiple people around the league” believe it’s down to McDaniels and Stefanski. If Lombardi and Fowler are both correct, then that would seem to indicate Stefanski is the favorite as of right now.
Browns Still Mulling Coaching Hire
The Browns completed their interview with Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on Friday, but they not quite ready to make their decision, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The Browns’ coaching search will roll on, likely with McDaniels, Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski, and Eagles DC Jim Schwartz representing the three finalists. 
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]
The Browns watched the Redskins, Cowboys, Panthers, and Giants beat them to the punch in their head coaching searches. That stripped away candidates like Mike McCarthy, but it also left the Browns with their pick of the remaining litter. At this time, the Browns are the only NFL team in search of a head coach.
Despite all of their dysfunction over the years, the Browns job holds obvious appeal – and not just because they’re the only game in town. Quarterback Baker Mayfield still stands as one of the most dynamic players at his position with potential to rebound from his rocky 2019. Meanwhile, he’s surrounded by seriously talented weapons including Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb, and pending free agent Kareem Hunt.
Some feel that McDaniels would be the best hire and the right coach to get the most out of the team’s offensive talent. Still, Stefanski is also a highly-respected offensive mind and there’s also a case for the Browns to tighten up their defense under someone like Schwartz.
We’ve been hearing that the Browns are looking to make their decision by Saturday, so the search could be coming to its conclusion very soon.