Would the Browns hire the youngest head coach in NFL history?

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Takeaways from Browns head coach search …

1. The next young, offensive-minded, genius-to-be tabbed by Andrew Berry to interview for the Browns head coach vacancy is Grant Udinski. Who? A year ago, Udinski became one of the NFL’s youngest coordinators when Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen gave him the job at the age of 29. Udinski turned 30 on Monday, a day after the Jaguars were eliminated from the AFC playoffs by the Buffalo Bills. He is the ninth candidate to receive an invitation to interview with the Browns. If Udinski were hired, he would become the youngest head coach in NFL history. That distinction currently belongs to Sean McVay, who was 30 years, 11 months old when the Rams made him their head coach in 2017. McVay’s success – seven post-season appearances, two Super Bowls, one championship in nine seasons – has spawned a search for the next Sean McVay by every young GM tabbed by his boss to find a coach.

2. Udinski, by the way, is not the youngest coordinator in the NFL. The youngest is Declan Doyle, who was 28 years, 10 months when named offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears by coach Ben Johnson last year. It wouldn’t surprise me if Doyle draws the interest of Berry, too. But Doyle might be tied up through the Super Bowl, the way the Bears are playing.

3. So, Udinski joins Rams pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase, 35; Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, 38; and in-house candidate Tommy Rees, 33; on Berry’s list of unproven, offensive-minded coach candidates. They are joined by Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, 42, the only candidate from the unproven, defensive-minded list of candidates that Berry so far has requested permission to interview.

4. One difference in resume that separates Udinski from Scheelhaase, Pitcher and Rees is that Udinski has worked for more than one team. He started as a graduate assistant at Baylor under coach Matt Ruhle, then followed Ruhle to the Carolina Panthers. After Ruhle was fired in 2022, Udinski was hired by Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell as his special assistant. He was promoted to work with quarterbacks and eventually was given the title of assistant offensive coordinator/assistant quarterbacks coach. When Coen left as Tampa Bay offensive coordinator to become Jaguars head coach at the age of 39, he hired Udinski to be his coordinator. Scheelhaase, who will be interviewed by Berry later this week, has only worked for McVay the past two seasons. Pitcher, whose interview was completed last week, has worked only for the Cincinnati Bengals the past 10 years. Rees, of course, has only worked for the Browns the past two years.

5. On the John Harbaugh front, the former Baltimore Ravens coach reportedly is in the process of paring down which teams he will seriously consider. The Browns are among seven teams courting Harbaugh. Harbaugh’s agent has been communicating pre-conditions to earn a “formal” interview with Harbaugh. It has been reported that Harbaugh will only consider three or four teams, based on their willingness to meet his pre-conditions, which may differ for each team. The Atlanta Falcons jumped the gun in announcing they had conducted a formal interview with Harbaugh. It appears they have just communicated with him through his agent. It is presumed that Harbaugh wants to wrap up his final destination without going through a protracted interview process; hence, the pre-conditions to “earn” an interview.

6. While the Browns leave defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz swinging on a vine during their coaching search, Schwartz’s first test of loyalty to the Browns is in the offing. The Baltimore Ravens have requested permission to interview Schwartz for their head coach position vacated by Harbaugh. This is an interesting development because Schwartz is represented by super agent Jimmy Sexton, who is a major power broker in this NFL hiring cycle and also a long-time business associate of Jimmy Haslam. Sexton represents just about every major college coach (Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, Texas’s Steve Sarkisian, LSU’s Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban) and also several NFL coaches, including Kevin Stefanski. Schwartz was one of Berry’s first formal interviews, but at 59, he doesn’t fit the profile sought by Berry in the next Browns head coach. What will be more interesting to see is if Schwartz is sought to interview for existing defensive coordinator positions, or future ones after the head coach cycle is completed.