CLEVELAND – Browns coach Eric Mangini is expected to pick Jets quarterbacks coach Brian Daboll to run his offense in the next few days.
Mangini, fired by the Jets and hired by the Browns last week to replace Romeo Crennel, also is expected to name Raiders assistant Rob Ryan as his defensive coordinator.
Daboll was in Cleveland over the weekend to meet with Mangini.
He would replace Rob Chudzinski, who was considered a rising star when the Browns scored 402 points in 2007. But Cleveland’s offense was ravaged this season by injuries, changed starting quarterbacks halfway through, and failed to score a touchdown in its final six games.
Chudzkinski, who signed a two-year extension last January, interviewed with San Francisco coach Mike Singletary about his coordinator opening a few days ago.
Ryan is the son of former NFL coach Buddy Ryan and his twin brother, Rex, is Baltimore’s defensive coordinator and a leading candidate for Mangini’s old job.
Rob Ryan coached the Patriots’ linebackers from 2000-2003 when Mangini coached the club’s defensive backs.
The Browns are in a holding pattern in their search for a GM.
Owner Randy Lerner interviewed George Kokinis, Baltimore’s director of pro personnel, Sunday in New York. The meeting was productive but the Browns cannot offer Kokinis a job until the Ravens’ season ends.
Baltimore plays at Pittsburgh in Sunday’s AFC Championship, meaning the earliest Kokinis could be hired by the Browns is Monday. If the Ravens advance, Kokinis would not be available until after the Super Bowl on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
Kokinis and Mangini have been friends since beginning their careers together in Cleveland during the 1990s.