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Bills open door for O’Neil to follow Pettine to Cleveland

Jim O'Neil

FILE - In this June 10. 2013, file photo, Jim O’Neil of the Buffalo Bills NFL football team poses for a photo. New Cleveland Browns coach Mike Pettine is assembling his staff; one coach he’s expected to contact as a possible defensive coordinator is Buffalo linebackers coach O’Neil, who has spent the past five seasons working under Pettine. (AP Photo, File)

AP

The Bills aren’t going to stand in the way of the Browns taking another one of their assistants this offseason.

According to Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News, the Bills have granted the Browns permission to interview linebackers coach Jim O’Neil for the defensive coordinator job.

O’Neil was the first name mentioned as a possibility to join Mike Pettine, assuming the Bills were willing to release him.

Given O’Neil’s background with Pettine (they worked together with the Jets as well) and a lack of familiarity with new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, there was no compelling reason for the Bills to block the interview.