CLEVELAND — Two days after firing Joe Woods, the Cleveland Browns have begun interviewing candidates for their vacant defensive coordinator position.
And they're beginning with one of the most accomplished defensive coaches in the league.
Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, the Browns announced that they are interviewing Jim Schwartz for their defensive coordinator position. The 56-year-old Schwartz spent the last two seasons as a senior defensive assistant with the Tennessee Titans.
A native of Baltimore, Schwartz began his 30-year career in the NFL in 1993 as a personnel scout with the Browns. When the franchise moved to Baltimore, so did Schwartz, as he served as an outside linebackers coach with the Ravens from 1996-98.
Following the firing of head coach Ted Marchibroda, Schwartz joined the Titans staff as a defensive assistant. In 2001, he was promoted to defensive coordinator — a role he held until 2009, when he was hired as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.
In five seasons as the Lions head coach, the former Georgetown linebacker amassed a 29-51 record. His best season came in 2011 when Detroit went 10-6 and earned its first playoff appearance since the 1999 season.
After being fired by the Lions following the 2013 season, Schwartz was hired as the defensive coordinator on Doug Marrone's staff with the Buffalo Bills. After Marrone exercised an out clause following the sale of the Bills following the conclusion of the season, Schwartz joined the Philadelphia Eagles as head coach Doug Pederson's defensive coordinator.
In 2017, Schwartz oversaw a Philadelphia defense that ranked fourth in yards allowed and fourth in scoring as the Eagles went on to defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. He resigned from Philadelphia following the 2021 season before returning to Tennessee as an assistant on head coach Mike Vrabel's staff with the Titans.
In addition to Schwartz, the Browns are expected to interview Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach Brian Flores, New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo and Seattle Seahawks defensive assistant Sean Desai in the days ahead.