CLEVELAND — One day after interviewing Tennessee Titans senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz for their vacant defensive coordinator position, the Cleveland Browns are bringing another high-profile candidate to town.
On Thursday, the Browns announced that they are interviewing Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach Brian Flores for the role.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, who spent his college career playing linebacker at Boston College from 1999-2002, Flores began his coaching career as an assistant coach on Bill Belichick's staff with the New England Patriots in 2008. Over the course of 11 seasons in New England, Flores was a part of four Super Bowl-winning teams and served as the Patriots' defensive play-caller during their Super Bowl championship-winning season in 2018.
In 2019, Flores was hired as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Despite the Dolphins being in an apparent rebuild, Flores helped guide them to a 24-25 record over the course of three seasons, with Miami amassing winning records in 2020 and 2021.
Despite Flores' apparent success, he was fired after amassing a 9-8 record in the 2021 season. The 41-year-old proceeded to sue the Dolphins, the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and the NFL, alleging racial discrimination in their hiring practices. He then spent the 2022 season as an assistant coach on Mike Tomlin's staff with the Steelers.
Flores has also been linked to Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who Miami pursued in a trade when the 3-time Pro Bowl selection was a member of the Houston Texans. Cleveland's search for a new defensive coordinator comes after the firing of Joe Woods following the Browns' disappointing 2022 season, in which they amassed a 7-10 record.
In addition to Flores and Schwartz, the Browns are expected to interview New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo and Seattle Seahawks defensive assistant Sean Desai in the days ahead.