The Cleveland Browns coaching search is officially entering crisis mode, and Tony Rizzo isn't hiding his anxiety.
During a high-energy segment on The Really Big Show, the ESPN Cleveland host didn't mince words about the current state of the franchise, "I'm getting a bad feeling about this," Rizzo warned, as the team finds itself in a high-stakes waiting game while other head coach needy clubs are making moves.
With Mike McDaniel snubbing the Browns, and Jesse Minter signing with Baltimore, GM Andrew Berry's list right now is down to four finalists. Defensive mastermind Jim Schwartz, veteran OC Todd Monken, and young offensive rising stars Grant Udinski and Nate Scheelhaase.
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Schwartz and Monken have already completed second interviews, but the momentum is shifting toward the youth movement. Udinski is scheduled for an in-person visit in Berea on Friday, while the Browns must wait until after the NFC Championship game to get Scheelhaase in the building. Udinski has also garnered interest from the Buffalo Bills.
The tension? It’s not just the competition—it’s the math. Even with Scheelhaase’s interview, the Browns must still bring in one additional minority candidate for an in-person meeting to satisfy the Rooney Rule before they can officially sign anyone to a HC contract.
Rizzo’s "bad feeling" captures the mood of a fan base terrified that the Browns are not showing enough urgency or that they are botching the search. If they don’t move fast, they risk being left at the altar while their top targets head elsewhere.
The clock is ticking, and the pressure is at a boiling point in northeast Ohio.
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