Cleveland Browns make bold history-making request for NFL coach forged in Europe

The Cleveland Browns have cast a wide net in the search for a head coach — so wide that it reaches across the pond.

Kevin Stefanski paid the price for an awful two seasons in Ohio, with general manager Andrew Berry doing enough with a promising draft class to keep his job.

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He will help spearhead the search for a new man to lead a group of rookies recently ranked as the best in the league by NFL.com.

Cleveland has begun lodging requests for interviews and alongside Baltimore OC Todd Monken, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde is among their first targets, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport.

The defensive guru has spent two successful years under Mike Macdonald on the West Coast, with the head coach calling plays.

Durde was born in England and has risen through the ranks having begin his NFL career as an intern with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.

He is the first British-born coach and defensive coordinator in the league and, thanks to his work with the Seahawks, could break ground with a head coach role if he lands the Browns job.

His focus, however, is on the No. 1 seed Seahawks and their Super Bowl charge.

“Right now, I’m having the time of my life. Like I really am,” he told a conference call with the British media on Tuesday night.

“And coaching the players I get to coach is some of the best time I’ve had doing football. So, I don’t really think about anything else right now.

“Honestly, if things happen in the future, they happen. It’s just like when I was in Dallas, I wasn’t really thinking about being a defensive coordinator. We had a blast every day. And I feel like when these things, when you just go about your business, things change when they need to change.

“Opportunities come up when they need to come up. But right now we’re doing something that we’re all enjoying and we should just stick to that.”

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Durde fell in love with American football as a child growing up in North London and played in NFL Europe for six seasons.

He spent time on the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers‘ practice squads before coming through the Bill Walsh NFL diversity coaching fellowship top land roles with the Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons.

Having followed a different journey from nearly all of his colleagues as one of the few coaches from outside North America, Durde has learned that vulnerability and honesty are key attributes when addressing young men.

“I just try and be myself,” he told talkSPORT’s Paul Prenderville. “What I’ve learned is honesty, vulnerability, sticking to what you know, being consistent. I try and be those things in front of the players and then away from the players.

“And normally, if you make a mistake and you’re honest about it, people understand, no one’s perfect in this game. Things happen.

“You win, you lose. You just, that’s just how it goes. So they’re the things I’ve tried to do throughout.”

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New Browns head coach has work to do

The Browns have also targeted Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as a potential hire, with the search encompassing both sides of the ball as well as the Atlantic.

Cleveland boasts a formidable defense led by newly-crowned single-season sack leader Myles Garrett.

But an offense led by Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders looked out of its depth for much of last season.

Still, there is hope.

The Browns have two first-round picks, including the sixth overall seletion.

There are also several rookies who look to have a bright future in tight end Harold Fannin Jr., running back Quinshon Judkins, defensive end Mason Graham, and linebacker Carson Schwesinger.

Gabriel fluffed his audition, and Sanders would have to improve under center to be considered a franchise option, especially with Deshaun Watson waiting in the wings for a return after missing the season with an Achilles injury.

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