More information on Browns' homework assignments for head-coaching candidates revealed

A recent report revealed that the Cleveland Browns had given head-coaching candidates homework assignments amid Cleveland's search for a Kevin Stefanski replacement.

On Monday morning, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated offered more information regarding what the Browns have asked of candidates this winter. 

Browns' homework assignments have three phases

"There are three phases to it," Breer explained. "There’s a cognitive test. There’s a personality test. Then (and this part is new this year), there are a half-dozen questions relating to the role of the head coach, some general ones about the candidate himself, some specific to the Browns. The questions require more than just off-the-cuff thought, and serve as the foundation for the first interview, which, under the current rules, has been a three-hour Zoom for Cleveland."

Breer added that the Browns "phased" such work in "during the 2019 and ’20 hiring cycles, in large part because what came across in home-run interviews with Hue Jackson and Freddie Kitchens simply wasn’t translating onto the field." That process resulted in Cleveland choosing Stefanski, who became a two-time Coach of the Year Award winner and guided the Browns to a pair of postseason trips.

That said, Cleveland went 8-26 under Stefanski over his final two campaigns in charge. Nevertheless, Breer seems to understand why the Browns may have limited their options via their unique handling of this particular hiring cycle. 

Browns trying to find out what they've previously missed during hiring cycles

"There’s logic to it, too," Breer continued. "The head coach might wind up making $50M or $75M on his first contract with the team, with as much as $20M per year committed to staffing for that new boss. Obviously, that’s a massive investment for an organization to make. And when the Browns started doing this, there was an obvious question they were trying to answer: 'Why is it that guys like Mike Tomlin and Andy Reid only got one interview request before landing their first jobs? What was everyone missing?'"

On Sunday, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted that the Browns seemed "to be leaning toward one of their young offensive-minded candidates in Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski and Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase to replace Kevin Stefanski." However, Cleveland's homework could result in the club hiring current defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who has experience serving as an NFL head coach.