Ray Horton is out as defensive coordinator in Cleveland, according to Alex Marvez of The Sporting News (on Twitter). Already, the search is on for his replacement. Gregg Williams has been offered the job and Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has been contacted about the vacancy. 
The Browns were a dumpster fire on both sides of the ball this year, but head coach Hue Jackson apparently feels that the team will need a philosophical change on defense. This year, the Browns finished next-to-last in defensive DVOA and they would have been dead last if it weren’t for the Lions’ awful ratings.
Williams is currently in the midst of his second stint as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. After coach Jeff Fisher was canned, the Rams informed all assistants that they were free to seek other jobs. Williams, naturally, isn’t just waiting around to see if the next head coach in L.A. wants to keep him on board. However, the Cleveland job might not be the gig he has his eye on. There are better situations out there from a personnel standpoint, including the Redskins gig.
Phillips has enjoyed great success in Denver, but he is on an expiring contract and unlikely to return. Phillips would be a splashy hire for a Browns team desperately seeking advancement in 2017.
Good move
…..and long overdue.
Gus Bradley is available.
Great news!! Horton was terrible when he was in Cleveland & I could not believe that they brought him back
Did the Horton firing meeting constitute compliance with the Rooney rule? How could Williams be offered the job so quickly?
Rooney Rule has only been “informally extended” to coordinator jobs:
link to profootballrumors.com
The problem is tailoring the defensive scheme to fit the available talent. No talent, coach can’t be successful. This goes back to scouting and the draft. Two areas that have been disastrous for the Browns. Next up, a new OCing staff. The offense has the same problems. It’s like going to a golf pro to help your game and get some pointers, but the pro only knows how to start from scratch and change everything. There you are. Your game is ruined. So let’s see what talent is still on board and not get the cart before the horse. So much talent is gone, what the heck was the plan? Or was this just supposed to be another wasted year?
This FO is actually pretty good not even joking..
Yeah things are looking better in Cleveland
as long as Haslem is the owner the Browns will continue to stink. sell the team Jimmy boy, you don’t need the money and we need an owner with some common sense. translated you SUCK.
So much for continuity.
GREAT MOVE. DEFENSE NEVER RUSHED 5 GUYS WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. NEED TO DRAFT JONATHAN ALLEN AND DEMARCUS WALKER TO HAVE BEST D LINE IN NFL. ALSO NEED TO FIRE OFFENSIVE LINE COACH. TOTALLY HORRIBLE PLAYING CAM ERVING AND PASTZOR. WHAT AN IDIOTT. WORST LINES IN NFL HISTORY. HEY BROWNS LETS TAKE MORE WR AND QBS EARLY AND PASS ON PRO BOWL PLAYERS ON THE LINE. ONE MORE THING. THE MYLES GARRETT DUDE IS A BUST. 4.5 OF HIS SACKS CAME AGAINST A JR. COLLEGE TEAM. AVERAGED 2 TACLES A GAME AND WAS ALWAYS INJURED. PLEASE DONT SELECT THIS STEROID USER…..BIG BUST
Wasn’t it a week ago that Jimmy Hassan assured us that no changes would be made this year? As a season ticket holder I am about at the end of my patience with this organization!!
Good,but u know what look at the talent he had to work with!!! We should also look at the front office to!!!
The FO is fine
It’s not that we don’t have talent on defense, it’s that fact that I suck as a coach is the reason we couldn’t stop nobody.
Don’t beat yourself up buddy
The biggest problem is the team dumped too many talented players in the last couple of years. They just don’t have enough talent to compete. Sad thing is, I think it’s because Haslem just can’t afford to run an NFL team.
I think they’d be better off having continuity by keeping Horton. This team doesn’t have a chance to get better if they keep swapping out coaches.
Offer the job to one guy and contact another? Is option 2 supposed to wait around?
This is great news instead of griping use your noodles for a second the defensive personel is set for a 4-3 defense. Yes it is harder to scheme against a 3-4 but you know what? It takes great coaching to recognize the personel is set for a 4-3. What I like about this that Jonathon Allen will be the Browns first pick, with Ogbah, Meder, Shelton and Allen as a front 4 . Collins, Davis and Kirksy as your 3 backers. The browns with one pick (Allen) then can shore up the back end of the Defense with picks 12, 33 and 51 with a stud strong saftey, 2 excellent corners. In this years draft those players are there at those picks. The defense will be great, then go after a quarterback in the third round or some Offensive Linemen. Signing Collins is the key
Yeah but Wade Phillips would fix the 3-4, he’s an amazing DC
As much as we “lack talent” that’s a choice, we don’t have to. It’s not a coaching, coordinator, or young player issue. It’s an owner issue! The Browns lead the NFL in Cap space damn near every year that tells me Haslam is content with the results because it makes him billions of dollars regardless! Only the fans are embarrassed! Only we get teased! You can never make a billionaire feel bad about owning a bad NFL team lol. The joke stay on us fans…We need us an owner that care just as much about winning than he does his “annual owners cut”. I’m off my soapbox
Been saying it for years, we need Jim Schwartz, or Phillips. They are both amazing.
I predicted that marriage would be an uneasy one. It’s funny that he was still under contract because now it makes you wonder did they hire him back just because they were already paying him, lol. Surely wouldn’t put it past Jimmy.