NFL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Browns HC Search, Matt Rhule, and More

The Cleveland Browns entered the 2019 season with big expectations on the strength of second-year players such as quarterback Baker Mayfield, running back Nick Chubb and cornerback Denzel Ward, as well as a pair of supremely talented wideouts in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.

Instead, they stumbled to a disappointing 6-10 mark, resulting in a front office overhaul that saw the team fire head coach Freddie Kitchens and part ways with general manager John Dorsey.

The Browns are doing their due diligence with a number of head-coaching candidates, and they are the only team that has yet to hire a new coach.

Here is the latest on the Browns' search for a head coach, in addition to a pair of rumors involving new Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and Houston Texans defensive tackle D.J. Reader.

Browns Want New Head Coach by Saturday

The Browns have their final interviews lined up, and they want to make their decision by Saturday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Cleveland interviewed Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator and former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz on Wednesday. They plan to sit down with Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski on Thursday before wrapping things up with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels on Friday.

Aside from the fact that the Browns have their pick of the litter, they are also likely to be more thorough in light of last year's mistakes. Cleveland promoted Kitchens—who was the interim offensive coordinator in 2018—to the main job after he spurred some success for Mayfield and the Browns offense over the final seven weeks of the season.

For his part, Schwartz earned an endorsement from Eagles head coach Doug Pederson, who stated Schwartz would make for a "tremendous head coach." According to Courtney Fallon of WEEI, McDaniels has preferred the Browns from the jump. As for Stefanski, ESPN's Dan Graziano reported the Browns were high on Stefanski before promoting Kitchens full time last winter.

Others in the mix include Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.

Rhule Preferred Giants Job

The Panthers pried Rhule from Baylor University with a seven-year, $62 million offer. However, he might have preferred coaching in the Meadowlands.

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reported Rhule called the New York Giants to see whether they would match Carolina's offer. The Giants had already planned to interview Rhule on Tuesday, but the former Baylor coach was reportedly afraid the Panthers would offer the job to McDaniels if he stalled. He pressed for an answer from the Giants, and they decided not to match.

The interest in New York is curious, at least from a professional standpoint. Granted, the Giants finished with just one less win than the Panthers, but Carolina has plenty of offensive weapons and one of the more talented quarterbacks in the league if Cam Newton can come back healthy.

However, Rhule—who was born in New York—likely would have relished returning home to coach, even if the Giants might have the less attractive future.

Texans, Reader Not Close to Extension

Houston Texans defensive tackle D.J. Reader has earned the praised of head coach Bill O'Brien as the Texans prepare for a divisional showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

But with Reader in the last year of his contract in 2020, the two sides are not close to a deal, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

O'Brien said of Reader: "'D.J. Reader has had a really good year for us. He does a lot of things that...don't show up on the stat sheet. He's an excellent inside defensive tackle that plays the run very well. He gives us some juice in the passing game.'"

Reader had 2.5 sacks, 52 combined tackles and six tackles for loss during the regular season, and he recorded six total tackles in Houston's wild-card matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Saturday.