New Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is assembling his staff by enlisting coaches with whom he has history.
Stefanski is on track to hire San Francisco 49ers defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Joe Woods as the new defensive coordinator of the Browns, ESPN reported Sunday.
The Niners played the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night for the NFC Championship. By rule, Woods would not be allowed to finalize a contract with the Browns until the 49ers are done with the playoffs.
Stefanski will hire former Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea, a person familiar with the move confirmed Sunday.
Stefanski met with O'Shea on Friday and tabbed him as the team's wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator, NFL Network reported.
During Stefanski's 14-year tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, he spent eight seasons with Woods and two with O'Shea.
Woods has previous experience as a defensive coordinator. He held the job with the Denver Broncos and called plays from 2017-18.
In 2017, the Broncos finished third in fewest yards allowed in the NFL (290 per game) and tied for 22nd in fewest points allowed (23.9 a game). In 2018, the Broncos ranked 22nd in fewest yards allowed (365.1 a game) and 13th in fewest points allowed (21.8 per game).
Woods used a 3-4 base defense both seasons in Denver and dime, featuring six defensive backs, as his primary sub package in 2018. The Browns have employed a 4-3 base scheme ever since 2017, when they drafted defensive end Myles Garrett first overall.
Browns brass likely heard a positive review about Woods while interviewing Niners defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for the head coaching job Stefanski eventually secured.
The 49ers entered the postseason second in fewest yards (281.8) and eighth in fewest points (19.4) surrendered per game. They tied for first in fewest yards allowed per play (4.7) and were No. 1 in fewest passing yards yielded a game (169.2). They also were fifth with 48 sacks.
Woods joined the Niners last year. Stefanski got to know Woods while he was the defensive backs coach of the Vikings from 2006-13.
Woods, per ESPN's report, has been chosen as the successor to Steve Wilks, who spent the 2019 season as the defensive coordinator of the Browns. They were 22nd in fewest yards (361.6) and 20th in fewest points (24.6) allowed per game last year.
As for O'Shea, the Dolphins fired him after the 2019 season, his only year as their OC. He and Stefanski worked together when O'Shea was the receivers coach of the Vikings from 2007-08. He then held the same position with the New England Patriots for 10 seasons.
O'Shea will replace Adam Henry, who spent the past two seasons as the receivers coach of the Browns but reportedly took a job last week with the Dallas Cowboys.
Henry coached Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry for two seasons at Louisiana State University, then spent another two seasons as Beckham's receivers coach with the New York Giants before reuniting with Landry and Beckham in Cleveland.
NFL Network also reported the Browns are interested in two 49ers assistant coaches as OC candidates: passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur and run game coordinator Mike McDaniel. LaFleur and McDaniel were Browns assistants in 2014.
The Browns won't retain offensive line coach James Campen, who joined them last year, ESPN reported.
