Saleh back in the mix?

Just when it appeared the Browns were closing in on either Josh McDaniels or Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach, they made a move Saturday suggesting that might not be the case after all.

The club put in a request to interview Indianapolis Colts Assistant General Manager Ed Dodds Jr., who has no known affiliation with either McDaniels or Stefanski.

Considering owner Jimmy Haslam III is allowing whomever he selects as his next head coach the opportunity to pick his own general manager, only San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh among those who have interviewed has a connection with Dodds.

The two men were in the Seattle Seahawks organization for three years before moving on to their current roles, Dodds joining the Colts in 2017 after 10 seasons in Seattle.

In his interview with the Browns, Saleh placed Dodds, along with Scott Fitterer and Trent Kirchner, co-directors of player personnel with Seattle and 49ers Vice President of Personnel Adam Peters on his wish list.

The relatively unknown Dodds has developed a reputation around the National Football League as one of the shrewdest evaluators of talent on the collegiate and professional levels.

In what can correctly be classified as attempting to connect the dots, one can only hazard a guess that Saleh, who reportedly had a strong interview with the club’s selection committee about a week ago, no longer is a long shot.

If he winds up with the job, it would be a huge upset considering it was believed the eventual winner would be someone with a background on the other side of the football.

One of the major reasons would be to help Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland offense to regain what it had for most of the 2017 season when the quarterback set a rookie record for touchdown passes in a season. That’s why McDaniels and Stefanski were thought to be the finalists.

Then came the wrench that was thrown Saturday. Based on that, it’s anybody’s guess at this point who succeeds Freddie Kitchens.