Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has been installed as an early favorite to land the Browns coaching job and he’ll get his chance to make his case for the job on Saturday.
That’s when Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports that the Browns will head to New England for an interview with the longtime Patriots assistant and former Broncos head coach. McDaniels is seen as a favored choice of Browns General Manager Mike Lombardi and he needs to interview before the weekend is out or wait until the Patriots are finished with their season.
If McDaniels does come to Ohio, there will likely be renewed talk about a trade bringing Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett to the team. Given the need for a quarterback in Cleveland, that deal might have a chance of happening this offseason.
The Browns interviewed Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in Seattle on Wednesday and they’ve also shown interest in Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase and Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, although Gase prefers to wait until Denver is finished playing and Bowles is reportedly unsure about interviewing with Cleveland.