CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Browns’ search committee continued their work looking for the next full-time head coach, and the process continued Friday when New Orleans Saints assistant head coach/tight ends coach Dan Campbell was brought in for an interview.
Campbell has nearly 20 years of experience at the NFL level, 11 as a player for the New York Giants (1999-2002), Dallas Cowboys (2003-2005), Detroit Lions (2006-2008) and Saints (2009), and eight as a coach for the Miami Dolphins (2010-2015) and Saints (2016 to present).
As a player, Campbell played in 114 games, made 75 starts and was on the receiving end of 91 passes, which he turned into 934 yards and 11 touchdowns over his 11 seasons.
Campbell started his post-playing career as Miami’s tight ends coach and served as the interim head coach for the final 12 games of the 2015 season. During that time, Campbell led the Dolphins to a 5-7 record, including a 20-10 win over the New England Patriots in the season finale.
Under Campbell’s guidance, the Dolphins drastically improved their run game, moving up eight spots in the NFL rankings for rushing yards per game. Lamar Miller gained 741 of his 872 yards running the ball and all eight of his rushing touchdowns.
Miller finished the 2015 season with 1,269 total offensive yards and 10 touchdowns, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill became the first Dolphins player to throw for at least 4,000 yards in back-to-back seasons since Hall of Fame signal-caller Dan Marino accomplished the feat from 1984-1986.
Five Dolphins earned Pro Bowl invitations in 2015, including current Browns receiver Jarvis Landry.
Since joining the Saints, Campbell has made the tight ends a key component of New Orleans’ high-octane offense.
Campbell is the fourth interview candidate confirmed by the Browns this week, along with current interim coach/defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, Jim Caldwell, the former coach of the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions, and current Minnesota Vikings interim offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski
Williams interviewed for the full-time opening on Tuesday, and Caldwell followed on Wednesday. Stefanski’s interview was moved up to Thursday after reportedly being scheduled for next week.
