Tom Coughlin, Teryl Austin & Anthony Lynn Top Candidates For Bills’ HC Job?

Jason Cole of B/R reports that the top candidates for the Bills’ head-coaching job are veteran HC Tom Coughlin, Lions DC Teryl Austin and interim HC Anthony Lynn.

• Albert Breer mentioned earlier in the day that Lynn will “certainly get a shot at the full-time gig in Buffalo” but Eagles DC Jim Schwartz could be another name worth watching in the coming weeks.

Earlier in the day, the Bills announced that GM Doug Whaley will lead the search for their next head coach, despite the fact that some feel he is just as responsible for the Bills’ issues as former HC Rex Ryan is.

The decision to keep Whaley in place for the head-coaching search could impact the quality and number of candidates interested in their vacancy, as they could be susceptible to being fired if the team moves on from Whaley at a later point.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk mentions that Whaley’s presence could particularly have an impact on Coughlin, as Whaley wasn’t involved in his previous meeting with the team last year, which instead included Bills president Russ Brandon and Ryan.

The candidates who could benefit most from the team keeping Whaley is Lynn.

Earlier in the day, Vic Carucci reported that Whaley convinced ownership to part ways with Ryan and have Lynn replace him.

If Lynn already has the support of Whaley, it’s possible they could keep him in place as their head coach much like the Buccaneers did with Dirk Koetter last year.

We’ll have more regarding the Bills’ head-coaching search as the news is available.