CLEVELAND — On Wednesday, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson raised eyebrows when he gave a non-committal answer regarding defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's future with the team.
"I would assume yes," Pederson answered when asked if he anticipated Schwartz would return as the Eagles' defensive coordinator in 2020. "Jim, he is currently my D.C., yeah."
But while the "currently" qualifier of Pederson's answer led some to read between the lines, as it turns out, there was another reason why the Super Bowl-winning head coach is unsure how long he'll be working alongside Schwartz. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Pederson considers Schwartz to be a "top candidate" for the Cleveland Browns' head coach vacancy, which the 53-year-old assistant interviewed for on Wednesday.
"I love the fact that guys around the league and teams around the league are looking to my staff for possible head coaching candidates, Frank Reich a couple of years ago and now Jim. Jim's obviously been a former head coach," Pederson said of Schwartz on Wednesday.
"I think he would make a tremendous head coach again with his leadership and what he has brought and how I've been able to lean on him and his experiences as a former head coach. Jim's done an outstanding job with our defense, obviously, the improvement we saw throughout the course of this season. I'm excited for him and his opportunity and wish him the best."
In five seasons as the head coach of the Detroit Lions (2009-2013), Schwartz amassed a 29-52 record (0-1 in the postseason). In 2016, he joined Pederson's Eagles staff as the defensive coordinator, helping lead Philadelphia to a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.