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Browns Part Ways With Gregg Williams

By | at January 9, 2019 11:44 am

The Browns chose Freddie Kitchens as their next head coach on Wednesday, temporarily leaving interim head coach Gregg Williams in limbo. That’s no longer the case, as Williams is out in Cleveland and will not return, sources tell Pat McManamon and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Williams is a highly-respected defensive mind, but the Browns will go with a new staff on that side of the ball as Kitchens puts the bulk of his focus on the offense. It’s not clear whether the Browns entertained bringing Williams back as their defensive coordinator (which was his role before the in-season firing of Hue Jackson), but in any case, it’s unlikely that Williams was interested in a role reversal with his former assistant.

The Browns went 5-3 under Williams in the second half, but the Browns are putting more stock into Kitchens’ impact on the offense than Williams’ defensive management or leadership. At this stage of the coaching cycle, it’s unlikely that Williams will garner consideration for the remaining head coaching vacancies, but he should be a top candidate for open DC jobs.

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Browns To Hire Freddie Kitchens As HC

By | at January 9, 2019 10:59 am

The Browns decided to stay in-house. Or, more accurately, in the kitchen. On Wednesday afternoon, the Browns will formally announce the promotion of offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens to the head coaching position, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter). 

[RELATED: PFR’s 2019 Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Kitchens proved his value after an in-season promotion gave him the keys to the Browns’ offense. Under Kitchen’s tutelage, rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield thrived and became a legitimate contender for the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The Browns closed the season 5-3 with Kitchens donning the headset and it appears that he is being given more credit for the turnaround than interim head coach Gregg Williams.

Early on, the Browns were connected to some big-name coaching candidates such as former Packers coach Mike McCarthy and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The Browns did not seriously pursue either coach, choosing instead to talk with Williams, Jim Caldwell, Dan Campbell, Matt Eberflus, Brian Flores, Mike Munchak, Nick Sirianni, and Kevin Stefanski.

Stefanski, the Vikings’ offensive coordinator, was believed to be a finalist alongside Kitchens. Ultimately, he lost out, which means that Brad Childress is probably not on his way back to Cleveland after all.

17 comments Cleveland Browns Newsstand

Browns Could Hire Brad Childress

By | at January 9, 2019 10:27 am

Brad Childress could be one step away from returning to the NFL. The Browns are reportedly down to Kevin Stefanski and Freddie Kitchens in their head coaching search, and if they pick Stefanski, Childress could wind up on Cleveland’s staff, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com hears.

Childress and Stefanski have history, dating back to when the two first met in 2005. Childress was also the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2012 and worked under GM John Dorsey from 2013-16 when he was running the Chiefs. There are significant ties all around, so Stefanski could be a natural fit as the next OC or a different type of assistant if Stefanski is the pick.

The original plan for Childress was to serve as the head coach of the AAF’s Atlanta Legends in 2019. However, he abruptly stepped down from the post on Tuesday, which could be a sign that he has something bigger in the works.

6 comments Cleveland Browns

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/8/19

By | at January 8, 2019 8:19 pm

Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • WR Duke Williams

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Miami Dolphins

  • LB Sam Eguavoen

New England Patriots

  • C Jake Eldrenkamp

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Houston Texans

Philadelphia Eagles

  • LB Alex Singleton

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • K Matt McCrane

Seattle Seahawks

1 comment Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Chicago Bears Christopher Ezeala Cleveland Browns Houston Texans Miami Dolphins New England Patriots New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers Seattle Seahawks Transactions

Latest On Browns’ HC Job

By | at January 8, 2019 1:27 pm

As they advance to the finalist stage of their coaching search, the Browns appear to be zeroing in on young play-callers.

Kevin Stefanski is headed back to Cleveland for a second interview, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports (on Twitter). The coach who took over the Vikings’ play-calling responsibilities late in the season may be competing with Freddie Kitchens, who ascended to this role in Cleveland.

Kitchens now has a “good chance” of landing the Browns’ HC job, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. The Browns interviewed Kitchens on Monday and have been making calls to inquire about his coaching past, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

These are the two finalists for the position, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. As Stefanski heads back to Cleveland, Kitchens remains in the Browns’ building.

While the Browns are eyeing Stefanski for their HC job, he remains a leading candidate to stay on with the Vikings as OC, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. However, Stefanski is a coaching free agent after his contract recently expired.

Several Browns assistants have already been asked to stay on board, Cabot reports, which would back the idea the 44-year-old Kitchens will receive a major promotion. Neither Kitchens nor Stefanski had OC experience heading into 2018. The Browns appear to be serious about pairing Baker Mayfield with a young, offensively oriented leader.

Stefanski, 36, interviewed for the Browns’ HC vacancy on Jan. 3. He is the youngest candidate involved in the John Dorsey-led search. This comes after he was passed over for the Vikings’ OC job a year ago for former Browns OC John DeFilippo. But Minnesota fired the latter late this season, and Stefanski is competing with Kitchens and perhaps others for the Cleveland job.

The Browns blocked Kitchens from pursuing offensive coordinator jobs outside the organization. It looks like he has a real shot to continue to work with Mayfield, which is not necessarily a big surprise given the rookie passer’s success after the Browns fired Hue Jackson and Todd Haley. Kitchens receiving the HC job may point to Gregg Williams staying on, though it would be an altered dynamic given the 60-year-old interim leader’s previous role as Kitchens’ boss.

23 comments Cleveland Browns Minnesota Vikings Newsstand

Josh McDaniels To Stay With Patriots

By | at January 8, 2019 10:41 am

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels says he will no longer pursue head coaching jobs this offseason and will remain with the Patriots “moving forward” (Twitter links via Doug Kyed of NESN). Frankly, McDaniels has little choice in the matter – the Packers were the only team to interview him in this cycle and he rejected overtures from the Bengals. None of the other clubs with vacancies requested an interview with the Pats OC.

McDaniels also added that he had “no contact” with the Browns. At one point in time, McDaniels was linked to Cleveland because of his offensive acumen and potential to guide young star quarterback Baker Mayfield, but the Browns never went down that road for one reason or another.

Ultimately, McDaniels appears to have been undone by last offseason’s flip-flop with the Colts. The OC did not feel that the saga “burned” him from future head coaching jobs, but one can’t help but wonder if teams are wary of getting involved with him at this juncture. Next year could be a different story, but this year, teams did not appear willing to trust the 42-year-old.

On the plus side, McDaniels can now focus on the biggest task at hand. The Patriots square off against the Chargers on Sunday in the Divisional Round.

34 comments Cleveland Browns New England Patriots

McCarthy, Browns "On Hold"

By | at January 7, 2019 5:55 pm

  • Mike McCarthy has been linked to the Browns job ever since he was fired by Green Bay, but things appear to be cooling off between the two sides. Cleveland “talked with either Mike McCarthy or his reps today, but things are on hold for now while the Browns talk to other candidates”, sources told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. While it sounds like the Browns have put McCarthy on the back-burner, Demovsky notes he is still “very much in play for the Jets.”
  • Speaking of the Browns, the team completed their interview with interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens today, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. It’s unclear if Kitchens has a real shot at landing the head coaching job, as the back half of this season was his only experience even calling plays after he was promoted from quarterbacks coach, but he received a ton of praise for his work for Baker Mayfield. If he doesn’t get the job it’s highly possible he’s retained as OC by whoever takes over in Cleveland.
15 comments Cleveland Browns Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New York Jets

Latest On Browns, Freddie Kitchens

By | at January 7, 2019 9:14 am

The Browns are slated to talk to offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens on Monday or Tuesday about their head coaching vacancy, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The interview is more than just due diligence – Rapoport hears that Kitchens has a realistic chance at securing the job. 

Multiple teams have expressed interest in Kitchens as an offensive coordinator candidate, but the Browns have so far denied those requests. That’s an indication that the Browns see Kitchens as a real candidate for the top job. At the very least, the Browns believe they’ll want to keep him in the fold going forward, though an outside big name head coaching hire may want to pick his own OC.

Kitchens never called plays before Hue Jackson and Todd Haley got the boot, but quarterback Baker Mayfield soared under his tutelage once he got the headset. The Browns were reinvigorated with Kitchens and interim head coach Gregg Williams running the show and managed to finish the second half 5-3.

As shown in PFR’s Head Coaching Tracker, Kitchens is going up against several candidates who have a leg up when it comes to experience:

3 comments Cleveland Browns

2019 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

By | at January 6, 2019 5:00 pm

Several NFL teams are currently hunting for a new head coach, and amidst reports about interview requests and potential candidates, it’s easy to lose track of the latest updates in the shuffle. So we’ll use this space – which will be updated until every team has hired a new head coach – to keep track of the most recent news and rumors. It can be found on the right-hand sidebar under “PFR Features.”

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here’s the current breakdown:

[Updated: 2/5/19, 8:17am CT]

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

30 comments Arizona Cardinals Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Denver Broncos Green Bay Packers Miami Dolphins New York Jets PFR Originals Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Browns Interview Brian Flores

By | at January 6, 2019 3:12 pm

  • In a bit of record-keeping, the Dolphins announced that they completed their head coaching interview with Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen on Saturday, while the Browns did the same with Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Allen, 46, flopped as the Raiders’ head coach earlier this decade, but has transformed New Orleans’ defense from a laughingstock to a respectable unit over the past four seasons. Flores, meanwhile, interviewed for only one head coaching job in 2018 (Cardinals), but has lined up four sit-downs in the 2019 cycle (Broncos, Packers, and Dolphins in addition to Browns).
1 comment Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Denver Broncos Miami Dolphins New York Jets
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