The Cleveland Browns are the last team to still have a head coach vacancy in the AFC North, but it looks like the search is nearing an end. The front office seems to be trimming down the list of candidates, as they complete their second interview with Matthew Stafford’s coach.

“We have completed a second head coach interview with Nate Scheelhaase,” the Browns posted on X.

The Browns scoured the market in their search, conducting interviews with at least nine candidates: Tommy Rees, Dan Pitcher, Aden Durde, Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter, Grant Udinski, Todd Monken, Jim Schwartz, and, of course, Rams’ pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.

That list has thinned quickly. Some candidates have taken other jobs. Others appear to have fallen out of favor. As it stands now, Cleveland’s focus seems to be on four names: Schwartz, Commanders run game coordinator Anthony Lynn, Monken, and Scheelhaase.

Even that group may be shrinking further. ESPN’s Adam Schefter offered clarity while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show.

“The two guys out front are Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and [Cleveland’s] own defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz,” Schefter said. “I think those are the two choices.”

For the Browns, the urgency around Scheelhaase is real, because they’re not alone. Schefter also reported that Scheelhaase is in Buffalo and scheduled to meet with the Bills after wrapping up his in-person interview with Cleveland.

So while several early targets are no longer options, Scheelhaase isn’t some fallback plan. He’s a legitimate candidate, and if Cleveland wants him, it may have to move decisively.

Scheelhaase’s coaching rise didn’t start in the NFL. At Iowa State, he wore multiple hats, including offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, during a stretch when the Cyclones averaged more than 26 points per game. He also coached running backs and wide receivers, playing a major role in the development of Breece Hall into the player he is today.

That background caught the attention of Sean McVay, whose eye for coaching talent is well established. McVay brought Scheelhaase to Los Angeles as an offensive assistant and passing game specialist, then elevated him to pass game coordinator. The results followed.

This season, the Los Angeles Rams averaged 30.5 points per game, best in the league, and 276.9 passing yards per game, second-best overall. Quarterback Matthew Stafford put together an MVP-caliber season.

Yes, the Rams fell four points short of a Super Bowl berth in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, but that outcome turned on a special teams mistake more than anything Scheelhaase controlled. Given how this search has unfolded and how many preferred options have rejected, the Browns may not have the luxury of waiting.

The Browns face triple rejection

The Cleveland Browns didn’t rush their head-coaching search after firing Kevin Stefanski, who has since landed on his feet as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Cleveland took its time. Whether that patience was strategic or costly depends on how you look at it.

What’s clear now is that most of the league’s head-coaching chairs are already filled, and some of the Browns’ preferred options have rejected them. There’s been steady chatter that Nate Scheelhaase is Cleveland’s top target. That may be true now. But it doesn’t necessarily mean he was always the first name on the board.

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When candidates like Mike McDaniel, Jesse Minter, and Grant Udinski are available, any team would naturally start there. The Browns did. The problem was that interest didn’t go both ways.

Minter moved quickly, accepting the head-coaching job with the Baltimore Ravens. McDaniel chose a different path, taking an offensive coordinator role with the Los Angeles Chargers. And then there was Udinski, another name Cleveland hoped to keep in play.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Udinski informed the Browns he was removing himself from consideration for their head-coaching job. That decision wasn’t about stepping away from opportunities altogether. Udinski is still pursuing the head-coaching opening with the Buffalo Bills, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are allowing him to do so.

If the Buffalo job doesn’t materialize, Udinski will return to Jacksonville as their offensive coordinator. The message to Cleveland was clear enough. That makes at least three candidates who, in one way or another, chose a different direction.

And that reality has narrowed the Browns’ focus. Scheelhaase has moved from being a strong option to the option. Whether that’s how Cleveland envisioned this unfolding or not, it’s where things stand now. With the list shortened and alternatives fading, the Browns are likely to push hard to make sure Scheelhaase doesn’t become the next name to walk away.