Tony Grossi ESPN Cleveland 5 Minute Read

Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR.

The NFL hiring season is five weeks away, so the question arises as to how candidates move up or down on our weekly ESPNCleveland Browns head coach tracker prior to then.

Let me explain.

Anything can influence the tracker, from the tiniest rumor of interest in a coach to a headline news event or pronouncement.

There was plenty of news to shape our second head coach tracker.

Browns GM John Dorsey attended two high-profile games – Oklahoma at West Virginia, and Michigan at Ohio State. While Dorsey probably was attracted to several draftable players in those games, it would be naïve to think his primary mission wasn’t to get a closer look at Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.

Game tape reveals the end product of a prospective coach. But it doesn’t show the coach dealing with players on the sideline and reacting to the challenges of a typical game.

The week also produced news on Bruce Arians, Matt Campbell and, of course, Gregg Williams, who improved his record as Browns interim coach to 2-1 with a second double-digit victory in a row.

Our head coach tracker ranks potential candidates on points out of a possible 100.

1. Dave Toub, Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator … 19 points.

Last week: 1. 20 points.

Bill Belichick started in special teams. So did George Allen, Marv Levy, Dick Vermeil, and Bill Cowher. John Harbaugh was the last special teams coordinator to be hired as a head coach. Toub worked under Harbaugh and for six years has been ripening under the Andy Reid tree. Toub has interviewed with the Chargers, Broncos, Dolphins and Bears. Dorsey has been a Toub advocate for years.

2. Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma head coach … 16 points.

Last week: 2. 14 points.

Baker Mayfield’s college coach has the Sooners positioned for a fourth Big 12 title and a second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff. Currently ranked fifth in the nation, Riley’s team must avenge its only loss of the season against Texas and then sweat out other results to squeeze into the playoff field of four. Nobody may be more qualified than Riley to maximize Mayfield’s skill as an NFL quarterback.

3. Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach … 13 points.

Last week: 4. 10 points.

There’s no firm evidence yet of Dorsey stalking the scent of Campbell, but they are being linked as a natural match. Campbell, who turns 39 on Nov. 29, is a Massillon, OH, native who coached at Bowling Green, Mount Union and Toledo before turning around a dormant program at Iowa State and scoring an upset over Oklahoma, among others. Dorsey familiarized himself with Campbell during his scouting of Toledo running back Kareem Hunt, whom Dorsey drafted in the third round in 2017 as GM of the Chiefs.

4. Gregg Williams, Browns interim head coach … 12 points.

Last week: 8. 6 points.

He kept the Browns from flying off the tracks after the firing of Hue Jackson, and now has them believing that they can make a run at the AFC sixth seed wild card. Williams might not have been taken seriously initially inside the team facility as a candidate for the full-time job. But nobody can deny the team looks eminently better coached under Williams, who is 2-1 after 12- and 15-point wins over Atlanta and Cincinnati, respectively. A road win over 8-3 Houston would certify Williams as leading contender to nail down the permanent job.

5. Bruce Arians, retired … 11 points.

Last week: 3. 10 points.

This week Arians doubled-down on his statement he would only come out of retirement for the Browns job. He told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that he would gladly keep long-time friend and associate Freddie Kitchens as offensive coordinator and would “consider” keeping Williams as defensive coordinator. Dorsey should interview the unattached Arians, 66, soon as possible to determine whether he is a serious candidate.

6. John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens head coach … 8 points.

Last week: 7. 6 points.

For the second week in a row, Harbaugh won a game while adjusting his offensive scheme to the running attributes of rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, who filled in again for injured starter Joe Flacco. Harbaugh most assuredly will not return as Ravens coach if they fail to make the AFC playoff field for the fourth year in a row.

7. Josh McDaniels, New England Patriots offensive coordinator … 7 points.

Last week: 6. 7 points.

His Ohio roots, years of experience managing Tom Brady under the auspices of Bill Belichick, and the consensus that he benefitted from the sins of his head coaching experience with the Broncos leave him a “person of interest” in any head coach search despite his record as a “thanks, but no thanks" tease.

8. Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers head coach … 5 points.

Last week: 5. 8 points.

His one championship in 13 years as Aaron Rodgers’ coach should be a red flag. Dorsey and senior management partners Eliot Wolf and Alonso Highsmith are most familiar with him. That could be good and bad for McCarthy, who will miss the playoffs for the second year in a row and fourth time in 13 seasons.

9. Mike Munchak, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach … 4 points.

Last week: 9. 4 points.

His 22-26 record as Tennessee Titans coach from 2011 to 2013 was unimpressive, as he burned through three starting quarterbacks and never fielded an offense capable of competing with the big boys. Still, the respect he brings as an offensive line tactician merits a possible interview.

10. Eric Bieniemy, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator … 4 points.

Last week: 10. 4 points.

Andy Reid’s previous two offensive coordinators have been proven successes as head coaches – Doug Pederson with the Eagles and Matt Nagy with the Bears. Bieniemy hasn’t called plays, however, and might be better suited as offensive coordinator with a non-offensive coach, such as Toub.

11. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan head coach … 1 point.

Last week: Not ranked.

A dismal fourth straight loss to Ohio State dampened his status, to be sure. But he still has impeccable pedigree – NFL quarterback, NFL assistant coach, head coach at two major college programs, and a 49-22-1 record as San Francisco 49ers coach. He personally offered his services to Jimmy Haslam in 2014 as a means of gracefully exiting the 49ers, who granted their approval and negotiated a trade of Harbaugh to the Browns. But Harbaugh’s wife, reportedly, nixed the idea of moving back to the Midwest. A year later, Harbaugh returned to his alma mater in hopes of restoring Michigan as Big Ten and national power.

Dropped out: Matt LeFleur, John DeFilippo, Scott Frost, Jay Norvell.