Browns To Interview Kevin Stefanski
The Browns are going to interview Vikings interim offensive coordinator for their head coaching position Kevin Stefanski on Monday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Stefanski is also a candidate for the Vikes’ full-time OC job, but his contract is up so he is free to field outside offers. 
The Vikings have been largely happy with Stefanski and are expected to try and keep him as their offensive manager. However, early indications are that they’ll have a fight on their hands to keep him in the headset.
The Vikings were an early favorite for Super Bowl contention but they finished out with a disappointing 8-7-1 record and missed the playoffs. In December, Minnesota canned offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and found Stefanski to be more suited for the role.
Guided by GM John Dorsey, the Browns may be one of the most attractive landing spots for coaching candidates this offseason. The presence of Baker Mayfield should have offensively-minded coaching like Stefanski drooling, there are young pieces in place thanks to years of losing and future-minded moves, and turning the Browns around would be a legacy-maker.
Packers, Browns, Cardinals To Interview Dan Campbell
Dan Campbell is a popular man these days. After interviewing Josh McDaniels, the Packers are set to fly to New Orleans on Saturday to meet with the Saints’ assistant head coach/tight ends coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. He’s also scheduled to meet with the Browns on Friday and the Cardinals at some point over the weekend. 
Of course, in the midst of all of this, Campbell is preparing for the Saints’ Divisional Round game on Jan. 13. Should the Saints win against their TBD opponent, interested clubs will have to get in where they fit in if they want to go down the road with Campbell.
Also carrying the title of assistant head coach in New Orleans, Campbell was connected to the Colts’ post-McDaniels job search last year and interviewed for the Vikings’ OC job that eventually went to John DeFilippo. Prior to being promoted to the Dolphins’ HC in the wake of Joe Philbin‘s early-season firing three years ago, Campbell had been Miami’s tight ends coach for more than four years.
Josh McDaniels Not On Browns' Radar?
Two coaches fired after the 2017 season look to have secured additional interviews about possible 2019 top jobs. Jim Caldwell will interview with the Jets, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. Chuck Pagano is now expected to interview with the Broncos, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Caldwell has already met with the Packers and been connected to the Browns’ wide-ranging search as well.
- The expansive Browns search thus far does not include Josh McDaniels, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com tweets. A Cleveland-area native, McDaniels was part of the Browns’ turbulent 2014 coaching search that ended with Mike Pettine. The Bengals have requested a meeting with McDaniels, but he has not yet accepted. McDaniels can interview this week because of the Patriots’ bye week.
Latest On Browns’ Coaching Search
A flurry of head coaching moves have been made last night and this morning, but one team already had a significant head start on the process. The Browns were the first team to move on from their coach, firing Hue Jackson after eight games, and have had a while to formulate a plan. The team went 5-3 after moving on from Jackson, and might have the most attractive opening of any team with Baker Mayfield looking like a star in the making.
The Browns’ first step in the process will be to interview Gregg Williams tomorrow, GM John Dorsey revealed at a press conference this morning, per Pat McManamon of ESPN (Twitter link). Williams is the interim coach right now and although he isn’t expected to land the full time job, Cleveland’s strong play down the stretch certainly earned him consideration. Dorsey also said that offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who has drawn rave reviews for his work with Mayfield, will get an interview although he wasn’t sure when that would occur.
Meanwhile, the Browns have also requested to interview Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Flores is in his first year calling plays, but is highly regarded around the league and was a candidate for the Cardinals’ job last year. The Browns are also expected to interview former Titans head coach and current Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak, according to Alex Marvez of Sporting News (Twitter link). We heard earlier this morning that the Broncos have interest in Munchak as well, who’s earned a ton of praise for his work with the Steelers and is instrumental in Pittsburgh and far more influential than your average offensive line coach.
We first heard late last night that the Browns had reached out to Mike McCarthy, and while he wouldn’t confirm anything, Dorsey certainly didn’t throw cold water on the rumors. Dorsey said he has “a lot of respect for Mike McCarthy and what he’s done”, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Dorsey also praised Kitchens, saying the first time coordinator has “done [a] wonderful job developing [a] relationship with” Mayfield, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal (Twitter link).
As soon as Adam Gase was fired by the Dolphins, he was immediately linked to Cleveland. Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that Gase going to the Browns is a “very real possibility”, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network followed up with a tweet saying Peyton Manning, a very close friend of Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, is a “big fan” of Gase. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk tweeted that Haslam “aggressively pursued” Gase five years ago, “but Gase decided to wait to become a head coach.”
The Browns have also put in a request to interview Saints assistant head coach Dan Campbell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Campbell has been a popular darkhorse candidate for some jobs, and impressed during his brief stint as the Dolphins’ interim head coach in 2015. In addition to Campbell, Rapoport tweets they requested an interview with Vikings interim offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.
Two last candidates for the Browns are Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that the Browns have submitted an interview request for him, and Colts offensive Nick Sirianni is also on their interview list Pelissero tweets separately. Adam Schefter followed up on Pelissero’s report by tweeting that while the Browns do want to interview Eberflus, they won’t be able to this week with the Colts playing a playoff game this weekend, and the same presumably goes for Sirianni.
Cleveland will be one of the most buzzed about teams in the coming days and weeks, and we should know a lot more about their intentions soon, and they’re clearly casting a very wide net. At this point, it still seems most likely that they’ll pursue an offensive coach to pair with Mayfield despite their reported interest in Flores and Eberflus.
Browns Have Reached Out To Mike McCarthy
One of the league’s most high profile coaching candidates has already been contacted by the Browns. Cleveland has reached out to former Packers coach Mike McCarthy about their vacancy, a source told John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. 
With a franchise quarterback in place and a roster full of young talent, the Browns have one of the most attractive head coaching openings of the past few years. Plenty of candidates will be interested, and the Browns are reportedly planning on conducting an exhaustive search. Current interim coach Gregg Williams is expected to get an interview, but isn’t viewed by most to be a realistic option for the full time job.
As soon as Green Bay canned McCarthy, he became the hottest candidate around. He’s been linked to virtually every opening, although one report earlier today said McCarthy is likely to sit out the 2019 season. There were other reports that he was interested in the job in Arizona, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said recently that McCarthy “has been connected most to” the opening in Tampa Bay. While this is just a preliminary action, it seems like there’s a decent chance McCarthy could be pairing up with Baker Mayfield. While he was the subject of a lot of criticism the past few years, he’s still one of the most successful coaches to hit the open market in recent memory.
The Browns finished the 2018 season on quite a roll, going 5-3 after firing Hue Jackson, and became relevant nationally for the first time in many years. They’ll be one of the most buzzed about teams this offseason, and will have high expectations in 2019. They’ve also been linked to Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, and Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus recently.
Gregg Williams Will Be Given Serious Consideration For Browns' HC Job; Team Still High On Josh McDaniels
- We heard several weeks ago that Browns interim head coach Gregg Williams has a chance to get the “interim” tag removed, and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that Cleveland will indeed give Williams serious consideration (though the team will obviously interview other candidates and continue its full-blown search). Ownership remains high on Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, but if the team does not give Williams the full-time job, it will risk losing the bulk of the staff that has led the Browns’ promising turnaround this year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/28/18
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Malachi Dupre, DT Pasoni Tasini
- Waived: CB Leonard Johnson, CB Deatrick Nichols
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: G Dorian Johnson
- Placed on IR: RB Kenjon Barner
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Blake Jackson
- Placed on IR: LB Tanner Vallejo
Detroit Lions
- Claimed off waivers from Saints: DE Mitchell Loewen
- Placed on IR: DT A’Shawn Robinson
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: S Rolan Milligan
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Dimitri Flowers, QB Tanner Lee
- Activated from IR: LB Donald Payne
- Placed on IR: K Josh Lambo, T Josh Wells
- Waived: LB Martrell Spaight
Washington Redskins
- Placed on IR: WR Maurice Harris
AFC Notes: Browns, Ravens, Broncos, Jets
Few names have been hotter in coaching circles recently than Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who was promoted to the role with Cleveland in Week 9 and has helped the squad since go 5-2. It should come as no surprise the Browns are interested in Kitchens returning to the role in 2019, but his name is starting to make the rounds in head-coaching rumors.
Any team wishing to tab Kitchens as an offensive coordinator is out of luck, as Cleveland can refuse any interview for the job. While some team might come sniffing for the innovative offensive mind, the Browns could make the move for Kitchens as their head coach according to ESPN’s Tony Grossi.
Grossi writes, “Like the Los Angeles Rams did with Sean McVay two years ago, the Browns could reasonably conclude that if Kitchens is on the fast track to be an NFL head coach, then it would be better to move him into that office a year too soon rather than lose him to somebody willing to take that gamble.”
Due to the team’s turnaround, interim head coach Gregg Williams is sure to get a long look for the position as well.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Ravens are expected to lost national scout Milt Hendrickson to a front-office role with the Packers, Jeff Zribiec of The Athletic writes. In the 2018 offseason, the Packers were denied by the Ravens in attempting to make the move. He served with the team since 2005. Hendrickson is good friends with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and lives in Wisconsin.
- With the Broncos recording their second consecutive losing season for the first time since 1972, many expect John Elway to make big changes in the upcoming season. A few of those players expected to potentially be looking for a new job include Shane Ray, Su’a Cravens and Brandon Marshall, The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala writes. Though Marshall has two years remaining on his deal, none of that money is guaranteed and the team could move on from the veteran in favor of rookie Josey Jewell.
- At 4-11, the Jets have plenty of areas to address in the upcoming offseason. The four biggest needs, however, include receiver, pass rusher, running back and offensive line, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes. Not surprisingly, three of those four needs revolve around giving first-year quarterback Sam Darnold some help on the offensive end. In addressing the running back situation, Vacchiano speculates the Jets could make a serious run at Le’Veon Bell with the team’s ample cap space.
Latest On Former Packers HC Mike McCarthy
It sounds like Mike McCarthy will be a popular name among teams looking for a new head coach. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the former Packers coach “already is receiving overtures from NFL teams considering head-coaching changes.”
However, it’s uncertain if McCarthy is eager to immediately return to the NFL. As Schefter notes, the 55-year-old will still be paid for the year remaining on his Green Bay contract. If McCarthy determines that there isn’t a good fit, he could easily take a year off without compromising his future job prospects. Shortly after he was fired, we heard that McCarthy still wanted to coach in 2019, but subsequent reports indicated that that might not be the case.
Schefter notes that one potential landing spot could be Cleveland, where McCarthy would have the opportunity to team up with three of his former colleagues: John Dorsey, Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf. Schefter also writes that many Packers coaches thought McCarthy was going to leave Green Bay for the Cardinals gig last offseason. For what it’s worth, the Cardinals are expected to fire head coach Steve Wilks at the end of the season.
After 12-plus seasons in Green Bay, McCarthy was fired in early December after guiding the Packers to an underwhelming 4-7-1 record. The head coach finished his Green Bay tenure with a 125-77-2 record, including eight campaigns with at least 10 wins. However, McCarthy only compiled a 10-8 postseason record, and the record doesn’t look nearly as encouraging when you take out the team’s 4-0 record during their 2010 Super Bowl-winning campaign.
Wylie Recovering After Surgery
- After breaking his ankle in practice, Browns offensive line coach Bob Wylie had successful surgery and is recovering well the team announced, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). Wylie, who became a fan favorite due to his starring turn on this year’s season of HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’, is “questionable at best” for this weekend’s game, according to the team’s announcement.