Browns Reportedly Interview New Candidate Saturday, Move Closer to Naming Head Coach

The Cleveland Browns are in the midst of a coaching search, but they encountered a significant setback on Tuesday.

Cleveland was set to hold an in-person interview with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel on Wednesday. Still, he withdrew from consideration to take the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator role.

The Browns needed McDaniel to meet a significant Rooney Rule requirement, but it seems they conducted an interview with a minority candidate on Saturday instead.

The Browns interviewed Anthony Lynn

According to NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Browns interviewed Anthony Lynn, the running backs coach and run game coordinator for the Washington Commanders.

"I’m told Anthony Lynn just completed an in-person interview with the Cleveland Browns, per league source," Anderson wrote Saturday on X. "It was Lynn’s first interview with Cleveland, I’m told."

NEW: I’m told Anthony Lynn just completed an in-person interview with the Cleveland #Browns, per league source.

It was Lynn’s first interview with Cleveland, I’m told. https://t.co/qFgx2OHZ2P
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 25, 2026

Lynn served as the Browns running back coach from 2007 to 2008. He also gained experience as the Chargers head coach from 2017 to 2020, finishing with a 33-32 record.

The Browns might genuinely want him to be their next head coach, or he could simply have been brought in to satisfy one of the Rooney Rule requirements.

The Rooney Rule requires NFL teams to interview at least two minority candidates for a position. However, Cleveland had reported no in-person interviews with a minority candidate before Saturday.

At the beginning of the week, the Browns had scheduled two in-person interviews with minority candidates: one with McDaniel and the other with Nathan Scheelhaase, the Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator. However, when McDaniel chose not to attend the interview, Cleveland had to scramble to find another in-person minority candidate.

Cleveland won’t be able to interview Scheelhaase until Monday because the Rams are competing in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, and NFL rules prevent coaches from participating in interviews during the week leading up to the game.

Cleveland will be in a position to hire a head coach following its interview with Scheelhaase, but it may need to wait two weeks to finalize its decision. If the Browns decide they want Scheelhaase as their next head coach and the Rams make it to the Super Bowl, Cleveland won’t be able to officially appoint him until after the Super Bowl concludes.

The Browns might announce that Scheelhaase will be the next head coach, but he can't officially sign on until after the Super Bowl. This could be a risky situation, as the Indianapolis Colts faced a similar problem when New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels accepted their head coaching job in 2018. He ended up backing out at the last minute, choosing not to take the position after the Super Bowl had concluded.