The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Team talks with Saints assistant Campbell
Dan Campbell, part of the coaching staff that helped propel the Saints to a 13-3 record in 2018 and a first-round bye, was interviewed Jan. 4 for the Browns’ head coaching vacancy.
Campbell is the Saints assistant head coach/tight ends coach. He is in his third season as one of head coach Sean Payton’s top lieutenants. He played 11 seasons as an NFL tight end with four different teams. He has been a coach for eight seasons.
“He’s a fantastic leader,” Payton told ESPN last month in New Orleans. “Obviously played a long time in this league. He’s everything you want. Extremely dedicated, hardworking. He’s exactly how he was as a player. And I tried to hire him a number of times and finally had that opportunity. So we’re fortunate to have him.”
Campbell is the fourth candidate interviewed by the Browns and the third to coach the offensive side of the ball. The committee headed by General Manager John Dorsey started the process Jan. 1 by interviewing Gregg Williams, who went 5-3 as interim head coach. Williams was the Browns’ defensive coordinator before replacing fired Hue Jackson on Oct. 29.
The Browns also interviewed former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, whose background is as an offensive assistant, and Kevin Stefanski, the offensive coordinator of the Vikings. The Browns are expected to interview Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores on Jan. 5.
The Canton Repository reported Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, a graduate of Canton McKinley High School and John Carroll, is “enthusiastically interested” in the Browns’ head coaching
job.
The Browns have not asked the Patriots to meet with McDaniels, but have used “back channels to indicate a mutual preliminary interest” in McDaniels, according to the report.
The Browns interviewed McDaniels in 2014, but McDaniels withdrew his name from consideration. Last year, he accepted the head coaching job with the Colts and then backed out after the Patriots lost the Super Bowl.
McDaniels interviewed with the Packers on Jan. 4.
He turned down overtures from the Bengals.
McDaniels was 11-17 as head coach of the Broncos from 2009 until he was fired halfway through the 2010 season.
Campbell also has head coaching experience. He was 5-7 as interim coach of the Dolphins after taking over a dysfunctional team that was 1-3 under Joe Philbin.
The Packers are scheduled to interview Campbell on Jan. 5. The Cardinals also plan to interview him this weekend, according to reports.