CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns‘ head coaching search has descended into what Orange and Brown Talk host Dan Labbe describes as having “a very chaotic feel to it at times.” On the latest episode of the podcast, Labbe and Browns beat reporters Mary Kay Cabot and Ashley Bastock dissected the increasingly bizarre situation in Berea, where procedural missteps have put the organization in a precarious position.

The most glaring issue? The Browns’ apparent failure to satisfy the NFL’s Rooney Rule to this point, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching positions. This has created a situation where Cleveland can’t immediately hire a candidate even if they want to.

“Still haven’t satisfied that Rooney Rule as far as we know,” Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock pointed out during the podcast. “So when we talk about the oddness of this search, that to me is still the ‘What is going on here? How did we get to this point?’ part of it.”

The timing couldn’t be worse, as coaching candidates are falling off the board rapidly. Jesse Minter, who declined an interview with Cleveland, was announced as the Baltimore Ravens’ new head coach during the podcast recording. Earlier this week, Mike McDaniel had also opted to become the Chargers’ offensive coordinator rather than pursue the Browns’ head coaching position.

This puts the Browns in a difficult spot with remaining candidates like Grant Udinski and Nathan Scheelhaase, who have upcoming interviews with other organizations that many consider more desirable destinations.

“Say tomorrow Grant Udinski comes in and really wows you and you’re like, ‘Wow, we want to hire this guy. We don’t want to let him out of the building,’” Bastock explained. “You basically have to. And he’s going to go and interview in Buffalo, which everyone agrees is a more advantageous job.”

It has created a situation where the Browns might be forced to watch preferred candidates walk out the door and sign elsewhere simply because they can’t officially offer them the job yet.

“It’s starting to get to a point where fans are realizing that as well,” Bastock added. “The procedural parts of this process are not being met right now in a way that is inspiring confidence.”

The podcast discussion highlights the growing concern that what began as a methodical search has evolved into something much messier, with the Browns’ reputation potentially working against them. Labbe noted that while the situation isn’t yet a complete disaster, it’s teetering on the edge.

“That’s why this sort of feels a little bit chaotic and a little bit like, what exactly are they doing here?” Labbe said. “It still feels like it’s sort of on that cliff there, just a little bit where one other guy dropping out, one other guy saying, ‘I don’t want to interview’ could turn this into an absolute mess.”

As the coaching search continues to unfold, the Browns find themselves racing against both the clock and their own procedural shortcomings. Will they manage to salvage their process, or are they headed for yet another disappointing coaching search outcome?

To hear the full discussion and get all the behind-the-scenes details of this developing story, listen to the complete episode of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.

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