The Cleveland Browns are leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of a new head coach. Firing a two-time Coach of the Year like Kevin Stefanski came with mixed reviews, and they need to make sure to bring in the right guy to replace him.
Then again, while they're already in the process of having a second round of interviews with several candidates, that doesn't mean they will hire someone any time soon. That's because they still haven't complied with the Rooney Rule.
As pointed out by ESPN Browns insider Daniel Oyefusi, the Browns can't hire a new head coach yet, even if they want to. That's because they have yet to meet the requirements of having at least two in-person meetings with minority candidates.
Browns coaching search hits snag over Rooney Rule requirement
"Been some confusion on the Rooney Rule, so just posting this from the NFL Operations website. The NFL requires 'every team to interview at least two external minority candidates in person for open head coach and GM positions.' The Browns’ first wave of interviews were all virtual," Oyefusi wrote on X.
The Browns did meet with one minority candidate in Mike McDaniel, who's father is Black. They will also reportedly fly him to Berea for a second interview. Then again, the team would still need to conduct another in-person interview with a minority candidate before being able to move on with a new head coach.
Of course, it's not a secret that several deals get agreed to under the table, and the Browns could technically reach an agreement with McDaniel and then conduct other interviews just to comply with the rules. But given how things went down years ago when Brian Flores sued the league, teams will want to be extremely careful with that type of stuff.
The Browns are doing the right thing by taking a thorough approach to their head coaching search. Unfortunately, they can't rest on their laurels. Multiple teams are looking for coaches, and they will have to act quickly if they want to make sure their top candidates don't end up somewhere else.
Given this rule, we'll likely hear about some new head coaching candidates and interviews in the coming days. As for the leading candidates to take the reins of the team, McDaniel and Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski have drawn some recent buzz.