Browns' John Dorsey: Gregg Williams will get interview for head coaching job

Cleveland Browns interim head coach Gregg Williams will have a chance to interview for the full-time job, general manager John Dorsey said Wednesday.

"Gregg will get interviewed for the head coaching position. I think he deserves that," the 58-year-old Dorsey told reporters Wednesday on Williams, who took over after the Browns fired Hue Jackson on Oct. 29.

Dorsey elected against commenting on whether the Browns' search for a head coach would extend into the collegiate ranks. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley's name has been linked to the job due in large part that reigning Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield -- the top overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft -- played for the Sooners.

Dorsey said the team plans to begin its coaching search in earnest after the season.

"Me personally, I would like to see a man of character. I would like to see a man who can lead young men. I would like to see a man who has got high football acumen. Those are the three basic things there that I look for," Dorsey said.

Cleveland started the season with a 2-5-1 mark under Jackson after it went 0-16 in 2017 and 1-15 in 2016.

With Williams at the helm, the Browns dropped a 37-21 decision to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 before rebounding with a 28-16 home win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

The 60-year-old Williams was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills (2001-03) before serving as the defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams and Browns.

Williams is perhaps best known for being suspended by the NFL for a year in 2012 after admitting to his role in the Saints' bounty scandal.