Browns Reportedly Looking at GMs Suggested by Head Coach Candidates Other Than Josh McDaniels

Not only are the 6-10 Cleveland Browns the last NFL team without a head coach following the firing of Freddie Kitchens, but they also don't have a GM thanks to their mutual parting with John Dorsey.

The Browns are understood to be closer to hiring a coach than a general manager, with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reportedly the top candidate. However, Cleveland has been crowd-sourcing ideas about their next GM from a range of head coaching candidates beyond simply McDaniels himself.

Hearing the Browns are also looking at GM candidates recommended by coaches not named McDaniels. Buckle up. It’s the Browns. Things change by the minute.
— Dustin Fox (@DustinFox37) January 11, 2020

That's an interesting wrinkle in light of the narrative that McDaniels-to-Cleveland would be more or less a done deal at this point.

McDaniels, who returned to the offensive coordinator role with New England in 2012 after he was fired as head coach in Denver, spent all day Friday in Cleveland with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and several senior members of the organization. His wife, Laura, was there with him.

The Browns could have closed the deal and made McDaniels, a quarterback guru that could help revitalize Baker Mayfield, their head coach right then and there. Instead, in the name of due diligence, the search remains ongoing.

The #Browns are committed to their process and taking their time with the coaching search. To that end, no firm decision is expected today despite Josh McDaniels and his wife being in the building. The coaching search rolls on...
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 10, 2020

The Browns had a qualified head coach candidate from the state of Ohio that wants the job in the building all day yesterday, and they let him leave without a deal on the table.

All they're doing is giving Bill Belichick more time to pull the same dark magic he pulled two years ago when McDaniels bailed on the Indianapolis Colts after accepting their head coaching job and return to Foxborough.

Never change, Cleveland. Never change.