CLEVELAND — After firing Joe Woods on Monday morning, it didn't take long for the Cleveland Browns to move forward with their coaching search.
According to multiple reports, the Browns have already requested or set up interviews with at least four candidates for their defensive coordinator vacancy. Those candidates, per reports, include New England Patriots insider linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, Pittsburgh Steelers senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach Brian Flores, Seattle Seahawks associate head coach/defensive assistant Sean Desai and Tenessee Titans senior defensive assistant Jim Schwartz.
Of note, both Schwartz and Flores possess previous head coaching experience.
The 56-year-old Schwartz served as the Detroit Lions' head coach from 2009-2013, amassing a 29-51 record, including a 10-6 record in 2011, when he guided Detroit to its first playoff appearance since 1999. He also spent time as the defensive coordinator of the Titans (2001-2008), Buffalo Bills (2014) and Philadelphia Eagles (2016-2020) -- the latter of which he helped lead to a Super Bowl championship season in 2017.
As for Flores, the 41-year-old totaled a 24-25 record in three seasons as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins from 2019-2021. After being controversially fired by Miami following the 2021 season, Flores filed a class action lawsuit against the Dolphins, Denver Broncos, New York Giants and the NFL, alleging racial discrimination in their hiring practices.
Prior to taking over as Miami's head coach, Flores was a longtime assistant on the New England Patriots staff and served as the team's defensive playcaller during its Super Bowl-winning season in 2018.
1/10 Update: According to NFL reporter Albert Breer, Schwartz will interview with the Browns on Wednesday, January 11. Flores will interview with the Browns the following day on Thursday, January 12.
As for Mayo and Desai, the two are considered up-and-coming defensive assistants in NFL circles.
A two-time Pro Bowl linebacker, the 36-year-old Mayo has worked as an assistant with his former team since 2019. While he isn't the Patriots' defensive coordinator in title, he is considered one of the team's top defensive assistants.
Meanwhile, Desai joined the Seahawks staff after not being retained by the Chicago Bears after serving as the team's defensive coordinator in 2021. In his lone season as the Bears' defensive coordinator, Chicago ranked sixth in yards allowed per game (316.7) and 22nd in points allowed per game (23.9).
The Browns' decision to fire Woods came after a season in which Cleveland's underperforming defense played a key role in the team failing to live up to preseason expectations. Despite finishing the 2021 campaign strong and returning a number of prominent players, including All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett and Pro Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, the Browns' defense ranked 20th in points allowed per game (22.4), 17th in yards per play (5.4) and 20th in takeaways per game (1.2), while ranking 22nd in Football Outsiders' DVOA stat.