How Anthony Lynn’s Interview Paves Way for Browns To Hire Head Coach Swiftly

Now that the Cleveland Browns completed their second-round interview with Anthony Lynn, the door has opened for the team to hire their head coach quickly.

Nov 13, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders running backs coach Anthony Lynn during practice at Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns could be close to the end of their head coach search as they work through second-round interviews.

Next on their search was the Browns, completing their in-person interview with Washington Commanders run game coordinator and running backs coach Anthony Lynn, according to NFL insider Josina Anderson.

Lynn has been with the Commanders over the last two years, but was the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers for four years and the interim head coach of the Buffalo Bills, going 33-32 in his time with both teams.

The Browns have Lynn as well as Nathan Scheelhaase, Jim Schwartz, Todd Monken, and Grant Udinski in the running for the head coach job. Lynn's interview is important for Cleveland to get done, though.

Cleveland Browns' interview with Anthony Lynn helps speed up head coach search

One part of the conversation regarding the Browns' head coach search is that they need to be Rooney Rule-compliant. Cleveland has not reached that point, which has held them back from hiring someone soon.

Lynn will put them one step closer to that as the Rooney Rule requires NFL teams to have at least two in-person interviews with external candidates who are minorities or women. The Browns are scheduled to have Scheelhaase in for an in-person interview on Monday, which will make Cleveland compliant with the Rooney Rule.

This will line up the Browns to make an offer for a head coach as early as Monday, depending on how the playoffs go for the Los Angeles Rams, with Scheelhaase still coaching as the pass game coordinator. The Rams beating the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game would force Cleveland to wait two more weeks if that's okay with them.

Cleveland could be looking at young coaches like Scheelhaase and Udinski as the top candidates for the head coach job, with the Browns using data and coaches writing essays to prove how smart they are. Scheelhaase and Udinski are two of the bright minds in the NFL who have not been head coaches yet but are seen as guys a year or two away from the job. The Browns seem to be okay with that and willing to take a chance on them.

How the playoffs end really depends on where the Browns are in their head coach search over the next 24 hours to two weeks. The postseason outcomes could really determine whether Cleveland hires their head coach on Monday or after the Super Bowl.