Browns Interview Ben McAdoo
The Browns are interviewing former Giants coach Ben McAdoo for their offensive coordinator vacancy, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (on Twitter). McAdoo has a history with new GM John Dorsey, which could make him a favorite for the position. 
After an ugly final season in New York, McAdoo must rebuild his stock before he can be considered for another head coaching job. While his ability to lead a locker room has been questioned, his offensive acumen and play-calling ability is what got him the Giants’ top job in the first place. Hue Jackson is finally ready to allow someone else to call plays and McAdoo would seem to be a strong candidate to take over.
McAdoo was the Giants’ offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015. In 2016, he took over as head coach when the team pushed out Tom Coughlin. He started off with an 11-5 season, but he was sacked this year when the team had amassed only two wins through December. In McAdoo’s defense, he wasn’t left with much to work with on offense when the team’s top receivers all suffered serious injuries at the start of the year.
Fired Titans coach Mike Mularkey is also in the mix for the job and Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan recently interviewed with Jackson for the position.
NFL Future/Reserve Contracts: 1/15/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Cleveland Browns
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
- S Jordan Dangerfield
- LB Matt Galambos
- LB Farrington Huguenin
- TE Jake McGee
- CB Dashaun Phillips
Tennessee Titans
- CB Jeremy Boykins
- WR Darius Jennings
- S Denzel Johnson
- OL Tyler Marz
- DE Johnny Maxey
- WR Zach Pascal
- TE Tim Semisch
- DE Julius Warmsley
- OL Cody Wichmann
- DL Antwaun Woods
Browns Interested In Mike Mularkey?
Mike Mularkey is out of a job, but he should have plenty of employment options for the coming season. One possibility could be in Cleveland. This offseason, the Browns had interest in bringing Mularkey in as their new offensive coordinator if he ever became available, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Under Mularkey’s guidance, the Titans went 9-7 in back-to-back seasons and reached the playoffs in 2017. Whether that’s enough to put him in the conversation for the league’s remaining head coaching vacancies, however, remains to be seen. If Mularkey cannot put himself in the mix for the Cardinals, Lions, or Giants jobs, his best bet might be to take an OC position for at least one season and try his luck next winter.
At first glance, the Browns OC job seems unappealing given that the team has gone 1-31 over the last two seasons. However, the Browns offer potential on a number of levels. With the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks plus tons of cap room at their disposal, the Browns and new GM John Dorsey could position themselves as a winning team in 2018. Conversely, if the Browns get off to another slow start, someone like Mularkey could theoretically get a crack at the interim head coaching job with the potential to take over the post.
In December, Jackson admitted that he held off on hiring an OC because he did not want to saddle someone with a talent-poor offense. Now that the Browns are in (seemingly) capable hands, it sounds like he intends to bring one on staff.
Al Saunders Will Transition To New Role With Browns
- The Browns announced that senior offensive assistant/wide receivers coach Al Saunders will transition to an advisory role with the franchise, as he’s been named senior assistant/special projects. Saunders served as the Chargers head coach back in the 1980s, and he’s since spent time with the Chiefs, Rams, Redskins, Ravens, Raiders, and Dolphins.
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NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/14/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Cleveland Browns
- DL Ricky Ali’ifua
- OL Joseph Cheek
- DL Jeremy Faulk
- DB Corey White
Brock Olivo Interviews With Browns
- Chris Tabor will return to the Bears as their special teams coordinator, the team announced. Tabor coached the Browns’ ST units for the past seven seasons but prior to that served as Chicago’s assistant ST coordinator from 2008-10. Tabor made it through four coaching regimes in Cleveland, remaining on staff through the Pat Shurmur, Rob Chudzinski, Mike Pettine and Hue Jackson runs.
- Brock Olivo‘s first crack as a special teams coordinator did not go well, with the Broncos firing him after one season. But the Browns interviewed Olivo for the ST job open after the team let Tabor leave, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.
Browns Fire Five Coaches
Even though new Browns lead football man John Dorsey is keeping current head coach Hue Jackson, he has just gotten started in reshaping the team’s coaching staff. Apart from hiring Ken Zampese and Adam Henry as the organization’s quarterbacks and wide receivers coaches earlier this week, the team has let go of five staff members from this past season, according to Tony Grossi of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Grossi reports that the team has moved on from former QB’s coach David Lee, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, running back coordinator Kirby Wilson, special teams assistant Shawn Mennenga and special teams quality control coach Stan Watson. Dorsey has brought a new look to the Browns front office and he’ll now remake the team’s coaching staff given this new coaching news.
Browns Hire Ken Zampese
The Browns have hired former Bengals offensive coordinator Ken Zampese, but he will not be Cleveland’s OC. Zampese has been brought in as the team’s new quarterbacks coach, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. 
In one sense, it’s a step back for the coach who served as the Bengals’ OC up until his firing in September. However, the Browns are likely to use the No. 1 overall pick on a QB, so Zampese will have the opportunity to groom a talented young signal caller
A strong rookie season from the No. 1 overall pick (perhaps Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen) could put Zampese back in line for OC jobs next year. Sean Ryan, the Texans’ QBs coach, can attest to that. He’s in the running for the Browns OC position after guiding Deshaun Watson to a spectacular, though injury-shortened, year.
Prior to becoming the Bengals’ OC in 2016, Zampese spent 12 seasons as the team’s QBs coach.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/11/18
Here are today’s reserve/futures deals.
Baltimore Ravens
Cleveland Browns
- ILB Max Bullough
Indianapolis Colts
- ILB Darnell Sankey
Browns Hire Former Giants WRs Coach
- The Browns hired a new wideouts coach in Adam Henry, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s a three-year deal for Henry, who was previously the Giants’ receivers coach. Henry coached Big Blue’s wideouts the past two seasons.