Browns Request Permission to Interview Brian Flores for Defensive Coordinator Position

Brian Flores, currently the linebackers coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is the second name that has surfaced that the Cleveland Browns will interview for the now vacant defensive coordinator job.

The Cleveland Browns have requested permission to request Brian Flores, linebackers coach and special assistant for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Adam Schefter of ESPN is the first to report the story.

Cleveland Browns requested permission to interview Steelers’ LB coach Brian Flores for their defensive coordinator job, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2023

Flores is the second interview request the Browns have sent out. The first was Jerod Mayo, the inside linebackers coach of the New England Patriots.

Flores, notably is the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins coach who is currently suing the league over racial discrimination in hiring process, stemming from his firing after just one season with the Dolphins as head coach. Flores, like Mayo, is also from the Patriots coaching tree under Bill Belichick.

Flores was able to coach an effective defense in his time with the Dolphins. The issues they had came on the offensive side of the ball, notably the problems he and Tua Tagovailoa had. As a defensive coordinator, that wouldn't be an issue.

Flores was the linebackers coach for the Steelers, but he also is rumored to have had significant input with the Steelers defense along with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and head coach Mike Tomlin.

Flores seems like a slam dunk hire given what he was able to achieve defensively in Miami. It remains to be seen if the pending litigation will have an impact on how teams view him. For now, he's another coach worth interviewing as the Browns work to find the best person to take over the defense.

Flores is also just 41 years old. Meyo is 36. It's not a certainty the Browns won't hire someone who's older, but it certainly seems like the Browns want to go younger. Understandably given the success of coaches like Demeco Ryans with the San Francisco 49ers and Ejiro Evero with the Denver Broncos, these young coaches appear to be on the cutting edge in defending how offenses are operating now.