Anthony

Lynn

Lynn met with the Cleveland brass on Saturday night in Florida. He spoke with the Bills about their head coaching vacancy earlier in the day. Lynn spent four years as the Chargers’ head coach, going 33-31 with one playoff victory. He worked in Detroit as their OC for a year after that. Lynn is respected in league circles but doesn’t fit the archetype of the young offensive wunerdkind that most teams are looking for these days. Still, he could get a second chance at leading a team, particularly in Cleveland, where several candidates have already pulled out of the running.

Lynn, 57, has served in his current roles over the last two seasons. In the two seasons before that, he served as the 49ers’ assistant head coach and running backs coach. He spent the 2021 season as the Lions’ offensive coordinator following a four-year run as the Chargers’ head coach.

Terrell, then Commanders receivers coach, got a request for the Cardinals OC job before coming over to join Jonathan Gannon’s staff when Ron Rivera was fired. It sounds like with the Cardinals in the midst of a regime change of their own, Terrell has a chance to be considered for their OC role or perhaps reprise his passing-game coordinator role for the Commanders. They also interviewed in-house candidates, some of which are speculated to be David Blough, Brian Johnson, and Anthony Lynn, for the vacancy.

As you’d expect, Lynn is yet another addition to this search with Cowboys ties, as he was their running backs coach in 2005-2006 during the Bill Parcells Era. Jerry Jones really seems to be going out of his way to make sure he hires somebody who either coached for the team previously or played for them during his ownership tenure. ESPN’s Adam Schefter also broached Lynn as a possibility on their Sunday pre-game show. It’s hard to argue that the Commanders have run the ball well in 2025, but it isn’t like Lynn gets to pack up Jayden Daniels with him.

Lynn, a former Chargers head coach who has served as an assistant head coach in San Francisco over the past two seasons, will head up a Washington run game that ranked in the middle of the league in rushing success rate and EPA in 2023. Lynn’s hiring could be a sign that the Commanders, one of the pass heaviest offenses last season, are going to emphasize the run game in 2024. Brian Robinson, who in 15 games had 733 yards and five touchdowns on the ground in 2023, profiles as Washington’s lead back.

What this means going forward is anybody’s guess, but the former Chargers head coach spoke with the team on Wednesday and followed the interview up with another conversation just hours later. Lynn is known around the league as a conservative play caller who specializes in the run, which would make him a near-perfect fit for a Commanders team that wants to emphasize the run game in 2023.

Lynn, a former head coach for the Chargers and offensive coordinator for the Lions, will get a crack at the Washington OC gig as the team tentatively commits to Sam Howell at quarterback. Detroit was 22nd in yards and 25th in points when Lynn was fired as coordinator in 2021. A hyper-conservative play caller, Lynn’s hiring could signal a run-first approach for the Commanders in 2023.

Lynn joined the 49ers as their assistant head coach and running backs coach after being dismissed as the Lions’ offensive coordinator at the end of 2021. Prior to that, Lynn served as the head coach of the Chargers, going 33-31 in his four seasons with the team, with his best year coming in 2018. Lynn has led several good rushing attacks in his day and could be the ideal fit for a Commanders team that’s looking to establish the run in 2023.

Lynn lost playcalling duties midway through his first year as Detroit’s offensive coordinator. The Lions fired him after Week 18, the second time Lynn’s been fired the last two seasons. Lynn’s rushing offenses have always produced, but his player evaluations have been criticized, with Lynn opening the year starting Tyrod Taylor over Justin Herbert in his final season with the Chargers. Lynn is expected to focus on coordinating the run game in San Francisco and is a potential replacement for OC Mike McDaniel if McDaniel is hired as Miami’s head coach.

Lynn had play-calling duties taken away earlier in the year so a split between the two parties was always inevitable. Lynn’s philosophy didn’t mesh well with the direction head coach Dan Campbell wanted to take the team in and the offense showed few signs of life throughout the year. With Lynn taking the fall for the offense, head coach Dan Campbell may get another year to turn things around. The Lions will finish bottom-five in points per game in Lynn’s only season as their coordinator. He will look to join a new franchise, likely as a position coach, during the offseason.