Browns DC search: 2 new candidates emerge to replace Jim Schwartz as race heats up

The search to find Jim Schwartz’s replacement as defensive coordinator is gearing up fast post Super Bowl as all teams are looking to finalize their coaching staffs. 

As new head coach Todd Monken takes the reins, the Cleveland Browns have expanded their hunt for a defensive mastermind, adding two of the most intriguing rising stars in the league: Aubrey Pleasant and Jonathan Cooley.

Let’s get to know these new names to the list, and if they would be a fit.

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Kyle Terada/USA TODAY NETWORK

Aubrey Pleasant (Rams assistant HC/pass game coordinator)

Pros: 

• Displays “leader of men qualities”. Currently the assistant head coach and pass game coordinator in LA, Pleasant has served as Sean McVay’s right-hand man and has shown high-level game management.
• He brings an aggressive energy to the secondary. Known for his firey coaching style, Pleasant excels at developing elite ballhawks and maximizing defensive back production.

Con: 

• He has never called defensive plays full-time at the NFL level, which is a major jump when inheriting a unit that finished top-five in the league last season.

Jonathan Cooley (Panthers defensive pass game coordinator)

Pros: 

• The local connection is real. A Columbus native and John Carroll alum, Cooley understands Northeast Ohio football culture and has already built a reputation as a tactical, detail oriented coach with a self proclaimed “analytical mind”.
• He knows how to shut down the air attack. His 2023 Panthers secondary allowed the third-fewest passing yards in the NFL, and this season gave up the seventh fewest passing touchdowns. 

Con: 

• His schematic roots (Rams/Panthers tree) lean toward heavy "Vic Fangio-style" zone shells and split-safety looks. This creates a potential clash with Monken’s mandate to keep Schwartz’s aggressive, single-high "Wide-9" system that propelled Myles Garrett to a record-breaking 23-sack season.

While these two are the fresh faces in the building, the race remains wide open. Internal contenders Jason Tarver (linebackers coach) and Ephraim Banda (safeties coach) remain firmly in the conversation, offering the scheme continuity that Monken explicitly promised during his introductory press conference.

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