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Report: Josh McDaniels ‘Would Jump at the Chance to Coach’ Browns, Is Early Front-Runner

Josh McDaniels had instant success when he took over the New England offense this season. So it was only a matter of time before the collective NFL forgot his poor head coaching stint in Denver and started thinking of him as a candidate for the top job somewhere else.

McDaniels has been linked to the impending opening in Cleveland, and now the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that a source in the organization says he “would jump at the chance to coach the Browns.”

McDaniels, Alabama coach Nick Saban and Oregon coach Chip Kelly have been named as possible candidates for the head coach position, but now it looks like McDaniels is the front-runner. Tony Grossi of ESPN writes that a hiring of Michael Lombardi does not bode well for Saban getting the job, as some people first thought.

Browns CEO Joe Banner has repeatedly said the position will not be taken care of until the offseason. But that’s just a couple of weeks away for Cleveland.

McDaniels went 11-17 with the Broncos and was fired partway through the 2010 season amidst concerns about his overall management of the team. He returned to New England as the offensive coordinator this season and has continued to build on the record-setting offense he and Tom Brady put together in 2007.

McDaniels played his high school football in Ohio, as a quarterback, and was a receiver at John Carroll University in Cleveland.