CLEVELAND – Grant Udinski completed his second interview with the Cleveland Browns for their head coaching vacancy on Friday.
The 30-year old Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator had his first interview with the team on Jan. 17.
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Udinski just completed his first season with the Jaguars. Even though coach Liam Coen called the offensive plays, Udinski directed a unit that was sixth in the league in scoring (27.9 points per game) and 11th in total offense (337.4 points per game).
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence accounted for 38 touchdowns (29 passing, nine rushing) as Jacksonville went 13-4 in the regular season and won the AFC South for the first time since 2022. The Jaguars lost to Buffalo in the wild-card round last Sunday.
Udinski began his NFL career as a coaching assistant at Carolina (2020-21) before spending three seasons in Minnesota (2022-24). He was an assistant to the head coach/special projects in 2022 with the Vikings before being promoted to assistant offensive coordinator and assistant quarterbacks coach in 2024.
The Buffalo Bills have also requested an interview with Udinski.
Cleveland fired Kevin Stefanski on Jan. 5 following six seasons and a 46-58 record. Stefanski — who was hired as Atlanta’s coach last Saturday — was a two-time AP NFL Coach of the Year and led the Browns to the playoffs in 2020 and ’23.
The Browns were 5-12 this season and 8-26 the past two years.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken have also had second interviews.
The Browns’ search is expected to go until at least early next week, since they will have to have an in-person interview with one more minority candidate to fulfill Rooney Rule requirements. They also can’t interview Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase until at least Monday since Los Angeles is still in the playoffs.
The five coaches hired by owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam since they bought the team in 2012 have a 73-139-1 regular-season record, the second-worst mark in the NFL.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl