Jimmy Haslam

Hue Jackson To Coach Browns in 2018

December 31st, 2017 at 3:42pm CST by Micah Powell

After the Browns fell to the Steelers, 28-24, to become the second 0-16 team in NFL history, team owner Jimmy Haslam told reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), that head coach Hue Jackson will return as head coach in 2018.

Haslam also said he doesn’t believe “Jackson hasn’t lost his magic,” and that he is working well with new general manager John Dorsey.

Since taking over at the beginning of the 2016 season, Jackson has managed just a 1-31 record as head coach. Following the loss in the season finale, Jackson told reporters the team wasn’t as far away from competing as many people think they are and that the difference will be the addition of Dorsey. The former Chiefs GM took over after the team parted ways with Sashi Brown earlier in the season.

Shortly after the hiring of Dorsey, questions began to swirl about Jackson’s future in Cleveland, with many thinking the new GM wanted to hire his own coach. Haslam, however, has stated all along he planned to bring back Jackson, and Dorsey later dispelled the rumors. There were even rumors of the Browns trading Jackson to the Bengals, the team in which he served as offensive coordinator before moving to Cleveland.

Jackson has stood firm in his commitment to Cleveland. He was reportedly not interested in the Bengals job after Marvin Lewis announced he was leaving. He told reporters on Sunday, “I don’t think anyone else could’ve done this job for the past two years.” He also added, “We’re going to get this organization to winning as soon as possible.”

With the loss on Sunday, the Browns will hold the No. 1 pick, which they will presumably use to take one of UCLA’s Josh Rosen or USC’s Sam Darnold, should they declare for the draft. Thanks to a draft-day deal in 2016, the team will also holds Houston’s first-round selection, the No. 4 overall pick. Also loaded with tons of caps space, the Browns are set up to make strides in Jackson’s third season.

AFC Notes: Browns, Jackson, Broncos WR’s

December 22nd, 2017 at 10:06pm CST by GregGoldstein

The Browns are in serious danger of joining the 2008 Lions as the only teams to go 0-16 in a single season. Cleveland will take on the Bears and Steelers before the dust is settled, but will be moving forward with a new head football man in John Dorsey.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com answers a variety of questions in a video addressing many different questions swirling around the franchise. One question she touches on is how quickly of an impact Dorsey will have on the field? While Cabot did say that it will take some time to turn around the franchise, one thing Dorsey will emphasize is finding that franchise quarterback that the team has been craving for a long time. Cabot states that just like with the 49ers and Jimmy Garoppolo, if the Browns can find their guy this offseason, there could be a dramatic shift in the long-term outlook of the organization.

The Browns will likely hold the first overall pick so they could be faced with a choice regarding Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen should both draft eligible QB’s turn pro this offseason.

Here are more stories coming from the AFC:

While the Browns do have a new decision maker in Dorsey, head coach Hue Jackson remains a bit in-flux. While the team’s owner has expressed his desire to keep the veteran coach, there could be an added twist in this story because of the division rival Bengals, states Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. Pluto opines that should Jackson replace the embattled Marvin Lewis, that would allow Dorsey to put his own coach in place, leaving his relationship with owner Jimmy Haslam in-tact. Bengals owner Mike Brown seems to like guys he’s worked with in the past, so Jackson seems like a reasonable possibility, even given his 1-29 record in Cleveland.
The Broncos are very much playing out the string of this season with a number of different QB’s given injuries and poor play. However, the wide receiver position has taken a hit over the past week, according to Mike Klis of 9news.com. Klis notes that Denver could only have four wideouts active against the Redskins in Week 16. Demaryius Thomas, Bennie Fowler, Jordan Taylor and Isaiah McKenzie are the only healthy receivers available and could lead the team to serious depth problems should one of them go down this weekend. Emmanuel Sanders and Cody Latimer are both listed as questionable and really have no reason to be pushed given that the Broncos are not in the playoff race. Expect the team to rely on the running game in order to keep their receiving corps healthy on Sunday.
Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper has not been 100% since he suffered a concussion and an ankle injury vs. the Broncos a few weeks ago. The third-year wideout has been inconsistent while on the field this season, but said after practice on Friday that he “felt all right” and is “still working through” the injuries, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link). He remains questionable to play for Monday night’s game against the Eagles. Gehlken also passed along that four Raiders missed practice today, including: CB David Amerson (foot), C Rodney Hudson (ankle/illness), DL Treyvon Hester (ankle) and TE Clive Walford (concussion/neck) (Twitter link).

John Dorsey Not Sold On Hue Jackson As 2018 Coach?

December 10th, 2017 at 7:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

The top two Browns decision-makers have endorsed Hue Jackson, despite the coach’s historically futile start in Cleveland. Jimmy Haslam did prior to John Dorsey‘s official hiring, and the new Browns GM followed suit hours later.

But Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports the “persistent sense” around the league is Dorsey will attempt to make the case to the owner to make his own HC hire. If Dorsey is allowed to select his own coach from the start, Florio hears the first-weekend GM knows who he would hire.

This would be a remarkable reversal, but it’s not like the Browns can be counted on for much reliability given what’s transpired in Cleveland over the past two years. Jackson’s team blew a 21-7 lead Sunday to drop to 0-13, and Florio notes an 0-16 season would make a potential Dorsey case against retaining Jackson stronger.

However, Haslam said Friday he wanted Jackson to be his coach for “a long, long time.” Dorsey said in a statement he looked forward to working with Jackson, who has now dropped to 1-28 as the Browns’ head coach.

But Jackson would obviously be on a scorching seat next season if he were given a third year. Jackson did not see eye to eye with Sashi Brown‘s approach, leading to numerous disagreements, and was kept in the loop as the team searched for a new football-based exec.

So, it would be interesting if the Browns bail on both Brown and Jackson after this unique rebuild attempt, while giving Dorsey prime resources (five first- or second-round draft picks in 2018 and more than $100MM in cap space). Regardless of how long-term a plan is, a team clearing the 1976-77 Buccaneers’ futility bar wouldn’t stand to make anyone involved completely assured of a job.

Latest On Browns, John Dorsey

December 8th, 2017 at 12:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns dominated the news cycle on Thursday by canning top decision maker Sashi Brown and, hours later, replacing him with ex-Chiefs GM John Dorsey. On Friday morning, owner Jimmy Haslam formally announced Dorsey as the team’s new GM and shed some light on the team’s power structure going forward. Here’s a look at the highlights from Haslam plus more news on the Browns’ future plans:

Haslam says the current plan is for head coach Hue Jackson, Dorsey, and executive Paul DePodesta to report to ownership (Twitter link via Andrew Gribble of ClevelandBrowns.com). “[Hue] and John will be working closely together for a long time,” Haslam said.
Because DePodesta reports directly to Haslam, Dorsey will not have the authority to fire him, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer hears. The Browns also want to keep Andrew Berry as the Vice President of Player Personnel. Dorsey, will have the opportunity to hire and fire others in the personnel department, but it sounds like he has been asked to work with both DePodesta and Berry.
Haslam reiterated that Jackson will be the coach in 2018. He then went a step further, adding: “I think it would be a mistake to just zero in on ’18. We’re planning on Hue Jackson being our football coach for a long time,” Haslam said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon).
Dorsey has control over the 53-man roster in his contract, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). That means he’ll run the draft, free agency, and all other facets of constructing the team. In Kansas City, coach Andy Reid had control over the 53-man roster.
The failed A.J. McCarron trade on the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline had nothing to do with the team beginning to pursue Dorsey five or six weeks ago, Haslam insists (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal).
Things reached a boiling point between Jackson and Brown in August when the team cut cornerback Joe Haden, despite already having plenty of cap space, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports hears. Jackson’s frustration was later compounded when Haden signed with the rival Steelers. Jackson was also riddled with anxiety on draft day since the front office was undecided about the No. 1 overall pick until the morning of the draft. The latest source of tension came from the McCarron deal. Robinson hears that some senior members of the coaching staff felt that Brown had either gotten cold feet or purposely sabotaged the trade.

Browns Hire John Dorsey As GM

December 7th, 2017 at 8:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

That didn’t take long. The Browns have reached an agreement to make John Dorsey their next general manager, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com report (on Twitter).

This move comes hours after the team fired executive VP and de facto GM Sashi Brown. The Browns announced the move.

Jimmy Haslam had already spoken with several executives to get a read on this search, and it’s clear that was done while Brown was in his final weeks as the team’s top decision-maker. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets this process unfolded over the past “several weeks.” He adds Hue Jackson was consulted.

Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com reports (on Twitter) Dorsey will receive a four-year contract. The Akron-based Browns insider reports the team interviewed two candidates formally and spoke with “two or three more.” Interestingly, Ulrich adds Dorsey will report to ownership along with Jackson and Paul DePodesta — the team’s chief strategy officer who was a key part of the Brown-era front office. So, a blending of philosophies will occur in Cleveland in an interesting arrangement.

Dorsey, though, will have final say over the 53-man roster, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports (on Twitter).

Morsensen tweets a handful of candidates were considered for the job; they just weren’t affiliated with teams presently. This made for an interesting search, all while Brown was still working as their top executive. Haslam will speak at a press conference Friday.

“We are thrilled to have John Dorsey lead our football operations,” Dee and Jimmy Haslam said. “John has been immersed in the NFL for 26 years, won two Super Bowls, built sustainable winning football teams and is highly respected for his football acumen. We know we have a critical and very positive opportunity ahead of us to profoundly impact the foundation of this football team.”

The Browns did not have to adhere to the usual waiting period to conduct interviews with GM candidates. Since the Chiefs fired Dorsey in June, he was free to interview with any team. Dorsey served as Kansas City’s GM before being abruptly canned. Prior to that, the former linebacker spent many years working with the Packers. He was once thought to be a possible Ted Thompson successor, but he will instead work on one of the most unique rebuilding projects in NFL history.

“Football is what I know, it is what I love, it is what I have worked my whole career at, and I thrive on every element that goes into building a winning football team,” Dorsey said. “I have spent a majority of my football life with two franchises that also have storied history, and I think I have a feel for the mentality of the fans in Cleveland and what it would mean to recreate the success this franchise once had. I also have quickly realized how passionate Jimmy and Dee are about bringing a winning team to the city and would have not taken the job if I didn’t think the right ownership was in place.

“I am eager to work with Hue, his staff, and our personnel department and help bring us the success these fans so deserve.”

Dorsey will take on a much bigger challenge than he did in coming to the Chiefs in 2013. Although the Chiefs were 2-14 in 2012, they had a not-that-distant history of being a competitive franchise. The Browns are an incredible 1-27 since their new regime took over in 2016 and have not made the playoffs since 2002. They have not had a winning season since 2007.

Jackson said earlier today he did not want full personnel control, believing it was too much for a head coach to handle. He’ll now work with Dorsey, who has experience working alongside — and not necessarily above — a head coach. Dorsey and Andy Reid worked in tandem to rapidly rebuild the Chiefs, who rebounded from that 2-14 2012 campaign to make the 2013 playoffs at 11-5 and qualify for three AFC brackets in four years.

The Browns’ new leadership structure will have a bounty of draft picks to work with thanks to Brown’s unorthodox methods. Cleveland has five first- or second-round picks in the upcoming draft. The Texans’ second-half struggles could have the Browns armed with two top-10 choices.

Cleveland’s scorched-earth rebuilding effort also has the team equipped with a staggering $108MM in cap space, so it will be interesting to see how Dorsey and Co. proceed.

Browns Rumors: Jackson, Haslam, Haden

December 7th, 2017 at 8:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hue Jackson did not want to confirm a report that he and ousted executive VP Sashi Brown weren’t on speaking terms, but Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports the two had clashed on numerous occasions — and certain players were at the root of this friction. Carson Wentz, Marvin Jones, A.J. McCarron and Jimmy Garoppolo induced disagreements between the Browns’ power structure, as previously reported, but Cabot adds Jackson and Brown were at odds about the likes of Joe Haden, Demario Davis and Jeremy Maclin.

Jackson wanted the Browns to sign Maclin, Cabot reports. They were loosely connected to the UFA wideout, but the Ravens, Bills and Eagles were well ahead of them. Jackson presumably wanted Haden to remain in Cleveland, but the Browns released him. Davis was also shipped back to the Jets and has enjoyed a productive season. Cabot also notes Jackson and Gregg Williams received pushback from some members of the front office in the Myles Garrett-vs.-Mitch Trubisky argument that transpired in April, with the coaches’ side winning out and Garrett being the pick.

Here’s the latest on a busy day in Cleveland.

Jimmy Haslam made this move Thursday in order to not fall behind on the GM carousel, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com reports, adding the owner saw the Giants taking an early lead by landing their former GM Ernie Accorsi to lead a search to replace Jerry Reese. Ownership was “adamant” not to fall behind in this pursuit, per Grossi. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report said during a radio appearance on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland the early Brown firing was to get an early start on a John Dorsey push (Twitter link). The Browns do not have to wait until season’s end to interview Dorsey like they would an active exec, and Miller reports many believe he will be Cleveland’s next GM. Dorsey steered the Chiefs to three playoff berths in four seasons after taking over following a 2-14 season.
Haslam was tinkering with the idea to make in-season changes for the past couple of weeks, Albert Breer of SI.com reports, noting the owner was considering bringing in a football voice to complement Brown rather than replace him. But after research, the owner decided to fire Brown and begin a search for his replacement.
Both Breer and Grossi confirm the Thursday-afternoon report the Browns are going after Dorsey. Grossi reports Dorsey has been “endorsed heartily” by at least one of the football execs with whom Haslam’s already consulted. Breer notes a Dorsey/Jackson arrangement makes more sense than Brown/Jackson, with the ex-Chiefs GM’s scouting background aligning more with Jackson’s admitted old-school approach to football development. That, and not necessarily his impressive work in Kansas City, made him a key name to watch in Cleveland, Breer notes.
A Dorsey hire could well mean a more prominent role for ex-Colts GM Ryan Grigson, Grossi writes. Grigson’s currently working as a senior personnel exec, with an emphasis on scouting. Dorsey and Grigson’s friendship and mutual respect would stand to lead to a better title for the since-fired Indianapolis decision-maker.
The Browns’ decision to part with Brown and not Jackson could lead to an increased interest in Josh Rosen. Miller notes. Jackson likes the UCLA quarterback as a prospect, with a source informing the draft-based reporter Rosen is “Jackson’s guy.” Rosen seems more certain to declare for the 2018 draft than Sam Darnold at this juncture.

Fallout From Browns’ Firing Of Sashi Brown

December 7th, 2017 at 1:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Hue Jackson‘s play calling has often been criticized, but so far he has held off on hiring an offensive coordinator. Why’s that? Jackson told reporters on Thursday that he didn’t want to hire an OC with a bad offense and make him take the fall (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer). However, he says it’s possible that he will hire one for 2018.

Here’s the latest out of Cleveland following the firing of top exec Sashi Brown:

Brown was not on speaking terms with Jackson over the past month or so, sources tell Cabot.
The Browns say that Jackson will return in 2018, but some in league circles believe that might not be the case if the Browns finish 0-16, Mike Florio of PFT writes. Owner Jimmy Haslam going back on his promise might not be ideal, but Florio argues that the team will be open to ridicule regardless with a 1-31 record over the last two years.
Brown knew his job was in jeopardy and met with Haslam recently to discuss it, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. At the time, Brown was told that no decisions had been made.
When asked if he’ll want to have personnel control going forward, Jackson said that he wants to be in concert with those making the decisions (Twitter link via Rapoport).
Jackson hopes that the team’s next regime can tighten up some of its loose lips. “This has been a leaky place for years. Hopefully some of that stuff will go away in time,” Jackson said (Twitter link via Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan).
Fun fact: The Browns’ last win on a Sunday was Dec. 13, 2015, when Johnny Manziel led them to a 24-10 win over the Niners, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes.

Haslams Meet With Browns Players About Team Direction

November 21st, 2017 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

After the Browns dropped to 0-10 and 1-25 in the new regime’s run, a unique meeting took place between two parties that don’t commonly associate in the manner they recently did.

Owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam met with roughly 12 Browns players after the team’s loss to the Jaguars, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports, adding one of the components of this summit was for ownership to ask the players what needs to change going forward.

Players asked questions of the owners in a free-flowing setup, Cabot reports. Emmanuel Ogbah, a member of the leadership council that was summoned for this meeting, said he hadn’t previously seen the Haslams meet with a select group of players before.

Hue Jackson was present at the meeting. Browns executive VP of football ops Sashi Brown was not, Cabot reports. Jackson said (via Cabot) following his team’s latest loss he did not want to get into whether or not he thinks the Browns’ current long-game plan is working.

“Yeah, because we never really just sit down and talk to the owner,” Ogbah said, via Cabot, of being a bit surprised at the owners-players meeting. “But yeah it was really helpful for us. They understand what we’re going through. If there are changes needed, we talk to them about it. So it’s good to have an owner close to us.”

The Browns’ owners have been involved with the front office recently. Dee Haslam taking the personnel department to task after the A.J. McCarron trade didn’t go through, and Jimmy Haslam took part in a conference call that was believed to have raised tensions in the Browns’ front office earlier this season. The Browns have sought football-based personnel help and have also been connected to Peyton Manning as a possible top front office candidate. So, it’s notable Brown wasn’t at this meeting given that representatives of the other main groups within the franchise were.

Cabot notes the long-reported rift between the coaching staff and the front office will have to be addressed to some degree in the offseason, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Sunday that Jackson will want more decision-making power if he returns for the 2018 season. Jackson said players don’t press him about where this long-term plan is going, but presumably this was discussed in the meeting with ownership.

“I’m very appreciative that Dee and Jimmy would talk to the players about what they feel, what they see and what they want,” Jackson said, via Cabot. “I will say this to all involved, that there is a plan in place and they want to win and they expect this organization to win and for it to be better. And they’re going to get it that way. I truly believe that with all my being.”

Jackson is off to the second-worst start by a head coach in NFL history, with only John McKay‘s 1976-77 Buccaneers opening a run worse than these Browns.

Jimmy Haslam Conference Call Increases Tension In Browns’ Front Office

October 1st, 2017 at 10:27am CST by Rory Parks

The rift between the Browns’ coaching staff and personnel department is something of an open secret, and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the rift may have widened even more this week.

Per La Canfora, team ownership held a conference call with its scouts and football operations staff this week, and while the call was ostensibly intended to give the talent evaluators a vote of confidence, some within the organization have ascribed a very different meaning to it. Team sources said that the call was more of a “kiss of death” than anything else, and a sign that there could be another major shakeup on the way.

Owner Jimmy Haslam has stated that he wants to maintain continuity within his front office and coaching staff rather than engage in the same constant turnover that has plagued the organization for years. However, the Browns look to be heading towards another dismal season in 2017, and in response to questions as to whether the team could win this year or is again looking towards the future, head coach Hue Jackson said on Monday, “I think this team can [win]. I think we have to do some things better and work a little bit harder and make sure that we do some of the detail things right, but that question that you just asked, I think that is something you have to talk to [executive vice president] Sashi [Brown] about and the executive team.”

Those comments are what triggered Haslam’s conference call with football operations, and the fact that he felt compelled to have such a call at this point in the season have suggested to some that change could be on the way. As La Canfora writes, the Brown/Jackson partnership, such as it is, is looking increasingly untenable, and the team may have to show marked improvement in a big hurry (i.e. start winning a few games) to prevent Haslam from cleaning house.

Earlier this month, we saw yet another instance of discontent between Jackson and Brown, and Jackson’s comments this week suggest that things may only be getting worse.

Browns Owner Wants QB At No. 1?

April 21st, 2017 at 4:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Complicating the divide between the Browns’ coaches and their front office regarding the No. 1 overall pick: Jimmy Haslam is believed to be weighing in on this process.

The team’s owner “badly wants” a quarterback, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). As the draft nears, Haslam has been asking about this draft’s quarterback class and wondering why there hasn’t been much clamoring for a passer at No. 1 overall among the team’s decision-makers (Twitter links, via La Canfora).

While this would seem to open up a bigger issue for the Browns, who have seen Haslam make quick decisions regarding previous head coaches during his tenure, the team still has a chasm between its coaching staff and new-era front office about which player to select first overall.

The coaching staff continues to prefer Myles Garrett, with La Canfora echoing what we’ve heard before about Jackson’s preference for the Texas A&M defensive end. But the front office, per La Canfora, is leaning more toward Mitch Trubisky as the pre-draft process enters its final week.

Trubisky has evidently made a late push for a Browns team that has probably experienced the biggest trouble at the quarterback spot of any team during the 21st century. The Cleveland-area native, though, could be viewed as a reach at No. 1 overall due to his one year of starting experience and the constant scrutiny about this year’s quarterback class having been present throughout the pre-draft months. But the Browns are also believed to be pondering a move up from their No. 12 spot to select the North Carolina-developed passer.

The owner weighing in on the process would certainly appear to throw more weight behind Trubisky. Haslem wanting to leave the draft with a surefire starting signal-caller doesn’t necessarily mean the Browns are going to pass on Garrett, but it might mean the team will trade up from No. 12 or use multiple picks as currency in a trade. La Canfora tweets a trade scenario would be welcomed by Browns brass, as it would “appease” Haslam and allow the franchise to select Garrett. The Browns have been linked to Jimmy Garoppolo throughout the offseason, but the Patriots have shown increased reluctance to unload Tom Brady‘s backup.

Of course, Browns GM Sashi Brown said earlier this week the team doesn’t envision a trade for a veteran quarterback. So, the complicated offseason — one that has the Browns still trying to work a trade to get Brock Osweiler off the roster — continues in Cleveland.

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