The Lions have clinched a playoff spot for the first time in six years. Before this dry spell, which is a relatively short one for the Detroit fans, the Lions made three playoff appearances in six years. That run started with a 2011 season behind then head coach Jim Schwartz, who is now the defensive coordinator for the Browns. Schwartz was fired two years later and has yet to hold a head-coaching position since. That doesn’t mean the goal is out of mind for the Cleveland assistant.
In a recent interview, Schwartz made his desires known for the future, according to ESPN’s Jake Trotter. “You always aspire to the top of the profession,” Schwartz told the media, “and I’m not different there.”
Schwartz first achieved that pinnacle of the sport after an extended tenure in Tennessee. After serving three years as a personnel scout in Cleveland and three more as an outside linebackers coach in Baltimore, Schwartz took a defensive assistant position with the Titans and was promoted to linebackers coach a year later. After a year coaching linebackers, he was promoted once again to defensive coordinator, a role he would hold for eight seasons before getting his first head coaching opportunity.
Schwartz faced an extremely difficult task in his first gig, inheriting Rod Marinelli‘s infamous 0-16 2008 Lions squad. Alongside rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford, Schwartz would chip away at what would ultimately end as a 12-year playoff drought, winning two games in his first year and six in his second. Detroit would earn a wild-card spot with a 10-6 record in Schwartz’s third year before falling to the Saints in the first round of the playoffs. The team would regress in the next two seasons, failing to make the playoffs in either year.
Since then, Schwartz has done nothing but lead top NFL defenses. In his first year post-Detroit, Schwartz led a Bills defense that finished fourth in both points and yards allowed. Two years later Schwartz began the turnaround of one of the league’s worst defensive units in Philadelphia. In only his second year on the job, Schwartz had taken a defense that was bottom-five before his arrival and helped them to finish fourth in points and yards allowed during their 2017 Super Bowl run.
In 2020, Schwartz would resign from his position due to health issues and decided to step away from his usual role as a coordinator, accepting a senior defensive assistant position back in his old home in Tennessee. The Browns hired Schwartz a year ago in hopes that he would be able to take their defense from average to great, and he delivered in a big way. While an unproductive offense at times this year put the defense in bad situations and added points to the board for the other team, Cleveland’s defensive unit has allowed the fewest yards in the NFL by a large margin.
Having delivered in multiple locations, turning around poor defenses in short amounts of time, it’s no surprise now that Schwartz is garnering head-coaching interest, once again. And while Schwartz appears to be happy in Cleveland, the lure of leading a team is strong. If the right situation presents itself, we may see Schwartz take a second opportunity to make a name as a head coach in the NFL.
More must-reads: