Report: Brian Daboll considered sleeper for Browns’ HC job
As rumors begin to swirl around the next Cleveland Browns’ head coach, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is considered a sleeper for the job, according to one reporter.
It appears that the Cleveland Browns’ may have an idea of who their next head coach will be as the rumors have begun to pick up on Saturday. The consensus seems to be either Josh McDaniels, Kevin Stefanski or Robert Saleh are the front runners for the job.
However, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is still in the running. Mortensen described him as a potential sleeper for the head coaching job.
The @Browns interviewed eight candidates, including McDaniels and three current playoff coordinators (Bienemy, Saleh, Stefanski). If there's a "sleeper" it is Bills OC Brian Daboll, who had a strong interview, via sources.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 11, 2020
Daboll had a chance to interview with the Browns this past week after the Buffalo Bills were knocked out of the playoffs on Saturday against the Houston Texans.
While the numbers aren’t fantastic for Daboll’s time as offensive coordinator, the offense did improve year over year. In terms of yards per game, the Bills moved up from 30th to 24th and in points per game went from 30th to 23rd.
However, the reason the Browns are likely interested in Daboll is for two reasons. The first is that he is credited a great deal for the improvements that Josh Allen has made at quarterback, mainly by Josh Allen himself. There is no question that Allen made a significant jump from his rookie season and this is due in part to the coaching he has gotten from Daboll.
The Browns are hoping for a similar improvement from their young quarterback in Baker Mayfield. The hope would be that Daboll could have a similar impact.
The other reason is due to his coaching pedigree. Brian Daboll not only spent three years under Bill Belicheck with the New England Patriots from 2013 to 2016 but also spent one year with Nick Saban at the University of Alabama as their offensive coordinator prior to joining the Buffalo Bills.
These are two of the premiere coaches in football and when they are part of your resume, they carry a great deal of weight as evident by the recent hiring of Joe Judge, who also worked with both coaches.
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As for the Buffalo Bills, Brian Daboll gets a mixed response from the fan base but if he were to leave this would be a significant blow to the coaching staff. The familiarity and relationship Daboll has with Josh Allen will need to be built with a new coach and instead of building on their successes, Allen will need to spend time learning a new offense heading into Year 3.