Browns solve Rooney Rule crisis: Anthony Lynn interview clears way for head coach decision

Panic in Cleveland? Not anymore, but the Browns were sweating.

After Mike McDaniel’s sudden withdrawal left the coaching search in a "Rooney Rule" lurch, GM Andrew Berry had to scramble to find a second external minority candidate for an in-person interview. Without it, the NFL’s strict mandate of requiring two such meetings before any hire would have kept the team’s next leader in legal limbo.

Enter a familiar face, Anthony Lynn. The current Commanders run-game coordinator, who also interviewed with the Bills on Saturday, completed his in-person meeting with Cleveland last night.

Lynn is no stranger to the Dawg Pound, having served as the Browns running backs coach from 2007-to-2008. His arrival provides the veteran presence the process needed after the search felt like it was stalling.

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With Lynn's face-to-face in the books, the final piece of the compliance puzzle falls to Rams pass-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. Since Los Angeles is in the midst of a deep playoff run, Scheelhaase is slated for his in-person interview this coming week.

Once he sits down with ownership, the "hurdle" is officially cleared. The Browns have survived the compliance crisis and are finally positioned to pull the trigger on a decision of who to hire for their next head coach.

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