The Opening Drive 1/27: Who Matters for the Browns at the Shrine Bowl (Defense), and The Head Coach Impasse Remains
Scouting out the defense this week at The Shrine Bowl and more nothing in the coaching search.
The week, and weekend, in Dallas comes to an end this evening with the Shrine Bowl at 6PM here at the Ford Center. The practices have been a joy to watch — highly competitive, great environment down here, and plenty of talent. While most of these names won’t be heard until the third day of the 2026 NFL Draft, that does not mean many won’t be impacting rosters this year.
The Star complex that Jerry Jones has built is quite unique and well worth visiting if you’re ever in the greater Dallas area. It’s easy to access and if the weather would have been more cooperative this week, I would have gone about giving some of you a bigger tour. Unfortunately, I have been unable to go to practice since Sunday due to ice, so you will just have to take my word for it. It’s easy to see why any wealthy owner visiting the complex would immediately want to build something similar of their own. Hence Brook Park, right?
Anyway, ahead of tonight’s game, here are the names to know that won the week on the defensive side of the ball. Make sure to look in yesterday’s Opening Drive for the names that mattered on offense this week.
DT, Darrell Jackson, Florida State
Jackson dominated blockers almost from the first practice rep and throughout the weekend. His speed and quickness off the snap at his size (6-foot-5, 328 pounds, 86-inch wingspan) were something to behold as he was displacing lineman all week and dominating the point-of-attack. We might be the first Shrine Bowl player drafted in April.
DT Landon Robinson, Navy
A hometown kid here, Robinson is just 5-foot-11, and 291 pounds. He was a nose tackle at Navy, and plays with non-stop energy and hustle. Playing more as a 3-tech or 4i and assaulting the B-gap with his quickness and natural leverage advantage, Robinson was often unblockable in both 1-on-1 and team drills.
LB, Eric Gentry, USC
Gentry may have won the week before practices even started. Measuring in at 6’6”, 220 pounds with 35 1/4” arms, his length is borderline alien-like. That alone turns heads. On the field, he’s backed it up.
Gentry has looked comfortable as a do-it-all linebacker, though a future transition to edge defender feels increasingly likely. He posted an 80.6 PFSN CFB LB Impact Grade this season, ranking 32nd nationally, and his upside is massive given how much room he still has to grow. If he fills out the frame in any sort of way, you have a very fun defensive weapon to deploy.
LB Jaden Dugger, Louisiana
He’s a big kid. At 6-4.5, 240 he’s a safety origianlly that moved to EDGE and then to off-ball linebacker. He discussed how that experience in deep coverage can help him keep developing at the second level as a linebacker. “So I feel like that could be like a part of my game too, because coming from safety, I have experience going against tight ends in the slot. Then experienced running backs. So I feel like that experience will help me down the road.”
His safety experience and the continued growth at linebacker have helped him have a great week at the Shrine Bowl. On Days 2 and 3 of practices at the Ford Center, Dugger picked off a pair of passes, showing his coverage abilities. He has also brought physicality to the table in the linebacker room, generating plenty of buzz.
CB Jadon Canady, Oregon
Canady builds his game around whatever the defense needs from him and that sort of flexibility was on display this week. Canady likely sticks at nickel cornerback in the NFL, but his versatility will be valuable at the next level.
He’s a highly versatile player bringing experience at safety, nickel, and cornerback to the defensive back room, along with his jitterbug energy level and physicality. He was sticky in coverage inside and outside and was willing to get involved in run fits during 11-on-11. He would be a great slot corner option for the Browns.
CB Devon Marshall, NC State
Marshall is a bigger corner listed at 5-11 and 200 pounds, and he had a great week displaying quick twitch and clean technique. He was one of the better man coverage corners in 1-on-1 sessions throughout most of the practices. Marshall allowed just 27 receptions on 62 targets in 2025, surrendering 11.4 yards per catch with two interceptions and 12 pass breakups.
S Cole Wisniewski, Texas Tech
Not a strong overall week for the safeties in practice but Wisniewski really stood out. He has arguably been the best defender on the field all week. He’s shown physicality stepping into the box, strong pursuit against the run, and elite coverage skills in both team drills and one-on-ones.
Against tight ends, he’s been particularly dominant, blanketing receivers and eliminating throwing windows. His performance shouldn’t come as a surprise. Wisniewski recorded eight interceptions last season at NDSU before transferring to Texas Tech. At 6’4”, 220 pounds, he brings an unusual frame to the position but he didn’t struggle getting around the back half at that size.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: CB Avery Smith (Toledo), CB Brent Austin (Cal), EDGE Mason Reiger (Wisconsin), LB Harold Perkins (LSU), EDGE Aidan Hubbard (Northwestern), iDL Dontay Corleone (Cincinnati), EDGE Malachi Lawrence (UCF), CB Jaylon Guilbeau (Texas)
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Opening Drive 1/24: Things I Think I Know About The Browns Head Coach Hiring Process
Opening Drive 1/23: Jesse Minter Withdraws and Shrine Bowl Prospects of Note (Offense)
Here we are yet again. Still sitting in our ice cold homes and waiting on the Browns to hire a head coach. What we know is that they returned to Berea without a deal in place for Nate Scheelhaase and we also know another piece of the puzzle as of this afternoon. The Bills have hired Joe Brady, their former offensive coordinator, as their next head coach. Which means the Bills time spent with Scheelhaase and Grant Udinski was for nothing and perhaps threw a wrinkle into the decision-making of both the Browns and the young coaches they pursued.
The latest we have is from Aditi Kinkhabwala who noted that Jim Schwartz is the most likely to be the next head coach but that conversations are ongoing and the Browns are trying to sort through what that might all look like — including that Schwartz would walk away from the Browns if he is passed over for the job.
She mentions the desire for the Browns to keep Schwartz around and this backs up the idea that the organization is trying to force the new coach, or those interviewing, into the idea that Schwartz would need to stay on the staff in order to keep the job. A situation not to dissimilar to what Kevin Stefanski did in Atlanta with Jeff Ulbrich, but also not a situation every coach would love to have thrown at them to take this job.
The final 15 seconds there are what is most interesting. That final piece about the pushback to keep Schwartz as the defensive coordinator as the hold up. “This idea that candidate are pulling out is not because this job is not a great job; that is all I will say.” If they are unable to have a younger candidate take this job with the contingency in place of keeping Schwartz, it is possible Schwartz just gets the job or perhaps someone like Todd Monken gets the job who Schwartz might respect more. Who knows. We are all guessing at this point, but what is not being guessed about is that Jim Schwartz is in the middle of this issue one way or the other.
Browns Film Breakdown will return soon with some fresh content.
Schwartz is a nice DC - but he's not some gotta have savant that should block the hiring of a young and promising offensive HC..This is freaking ridicilous.