3 most likely coach, GM tandems Cleveland Browns will hire

Cleveland Browns (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Cleveland Browns (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Browns Josh McDaniels (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

1. McDaniels and Ziegler

Grossi had previously reported that Josh McDaniels was probably out of the running because he wouldn’t want to answer to DePodesta.

That said, ownership really likes the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. Will the Browns’ CSO appease his bosses and land their top candidate?

PFN’s Ben Allbright gave the opinion that  the McDaniels/ Dave Zeigler combination is in the running for the gig. Zeigler is currently the Bill Belichick’s pro scouting director.

Nick Caserio, who currently works as the Pats’ director of pro personnel, has also had his name floated, although Allbright picked Ziegler.

As for McDaniels, the Pats’ offensive coordinator wasn’t interviewed a season ago when Dorsey was leading the search. This helps you understand why the final two came down to Freddie Kitchens and DePodesta’s guy, Kevin Stefanski.

The Patriots have granted permission to Cleveland, as well as the Giants and the Panthers to interview Belichick’s top offensive lieutenant.

The MMQB’s Albert Breer recently wrote, if the structure is right in Cleveland, “He’ll go.”

With DePodesta running the search, only time will tell if McDaniels agrees with how the Browns’ hierarchy is being restructured. Grossi stuck to his sources, writing about DePodesta’s presence (subscription).

"“They point to new successes being enjoyed by the most recent coaching branches of the Belichick tree. Bill O’Brien in Houston, Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, and Brian Flores in Miami each have a trusted personnel leader but none has an overseer bending the ear of the team’s owner. Thus, each has a much better chance of surviving a bad year – even a very bad one – than Dorsey and Kitchens did.”"

McDaniels’ name has been floated as Browns coach, seemingly forever. With the feeling that the party is ending in New England, McDaniels seems poised to finally leave the nest. If not now, then never.