The Opening Drive 1/18: Kevin Stefanski Pulling From the Current Browns Staff and Confirmed Second Interviews

The hiring of Stefanski could make things more challenging on an internal hire.

Jan 18, 2026

Overnight, the coaching cycle hit its next stop as Kevin Stefanski was hired by the Falcons. It was clear Stefanski was in demand throughout the process, but it was unclear just how serious that demand was going to be. He interviewed around the league, including stops in Tennessee, Las Vegas, and Miami. He had second interviews lined up in multiple places as well, and as it turns out, Stefanski was very much in demand. He was offered the job by Arthur Blank late into the evening on Saturday night.

Once John Harbaugh got settled into his contract with the Giants, it became clear that Stefanski had plenty of suitors—more than Browns fans wanted to admit. Well, more than I also wanted to believe. He turned down an opportunity to revisit with the Raiders for a second time and honed in on the opportunity with the Falcons.

The focus now turns to how he builds his staff. The rumors are that either current Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees or former Titans head coach Brian Callahan will join Stefanski as offensive coordinator. Brian’s father, Bill Callahan, might be joining as offensive line coach, and then it gets more interesting. Stefanski might pull more of his trusted coaches from both previous iterations of the Browns and the current one. That means wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea might be on the move, as well as special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone (who Browns fans might pay for his flight out of town), and some others.

Now, this might not mean much to Browns fans, but it might mean something more to the other news we will hit on in a moment.

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Today brings the news of the confirmation of two Browns second interviews. The first being Jim Schwartz and the other being Todd Monken. Both names are sure to leave most Browns fans underwhelmed but that is the nature of a coaching search where the roster is in such deep transition on the offensive side of the ball.

Schwartz would have no problem retaining the majority of his defensive staff but the challenge he will be faced with is building the offensive side of the ball. Given that names he is working with right now are the best bet, and most of those will be tied to Stefanski in Atlanta now, it gets a little dicey. The Browns will likely have to search outside the box on that side of the ball if Schwartz is hired. This has a chance to get a little messy.

With Todd Monken it’s all about how the Browns would build around him on defense. If Schwartz is willing to work with Monken and stay on as coordinator it could be a more seamless fit, but if Monken is to build his own defense staff I think it gets tough to project. The two have never crossed paths on a staff before but that is not to presume they don’t have a relationship through shared time in the industry.

The second interview candidates are going to start pouring in this week. I’ll admit I am uneasy about the direction things are heading. There is unlikely to be a hire here that is universally loved across the national and local landscape. I fear all we can do is hope for the best in this scenario and lets the chips fall where they will. The Browns still have to satisfy the Rooney Rule so it likely means a more drawn out process in the coming week or two. Buckle in and get comfortable.

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