Cleveland Browns Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Browns Fire GM John Dorsey

December 31st, 2019 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

That’s a wrap for John Dorsey. On Tuesday, the Browns and Dorsey agreed to part ways, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Dorsey and owner Jimmy Haslam met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss potential options for moving forward. Reportedly, Haslam was considering a scenario in which Dorsey would stay on board in a restructured front office. That did not work for Dorsey, an executive with decades of experience who has become accustomed to doing things his way.

The Browns hired Dorsey near the end of the 2017 season after firing Sashi Brown. Brown was widely criticized for his decisions in Cleveland, but his future-minded strategy tee’d up Dorsey with tons of fiscal flexibility and draft picks. In two seasons at the helm, Dorsey has not been able to translate those assets into wins. The Browns improved from 0-16 in 2017 (because there’s only one way to go from there), but they only managed a 7-8-1 record in 2018 and a 6-10 mark this year.

On the plus side – Dorsey is responsible for bringing in the likes of quarterback Baker Mayfield, cornerback Denzel Ward, receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, and defensive notables Sheldon Richardson and Olivier Vernon. Dorsey hasn’t been perfect, and his selection of Freddie Kitchens as the team’s head coach obviously didn’t pan out, but one could argue that Dorsey has been given a raw deal and not enough time to right the ship.

What’s next for the Browns is anyone’s guess. The club could give more power to chief strategist Paul DePodesta, who transitioned from baseball to football to become one of Haslam’s top consiglieres. Old friend Andrew Berry – who currently serves as Eagles VP of football operations – could also garner consideration for the GM job.

Browns, John Dorsey To Part Ways?

December 31st, 2019 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns and GM John Dorsey are “leaning towards” parting ways today, sources tell Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). However, Schefter cautions that the situation is “fluid and not final.”

Dorsey will meet with owner Jimmy Haslam on Tuesday afternoon to hash things out, but all signs are pointing to this being the end of Dorsey’s time in Cleveland. Days after firing Freddie Kitchens – who got just one season at the helm – the Browns could be on the verge of cleaning house.

Shortly after word of Kitchens’ dismissal broke, Dorsey released a statement indicating that he was staying put. Soon, we’ll know whether that’s the case.

Dorsey joined the Browns in 2017 and his lofty resume led to high expectations off the bat. So far, those expectations have not been met – the Browns finished 6-9 in 2019, despite having one of the league’s most dynamic quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield and acquiring superstar receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

Technically, it’s an upgrade over the Browns’ winless 2017 season, but that’s not quite enough to satisfy the Browns’ restless fans or ownership.

Browns To Interview Bills OC Brian Daboll

December 30th, 2019 at 7:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Add another name to the list of Browns head coaching candidates. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Cleveland will interview Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for the vacancy.

Daboll has had stints as offensive coordinator with four different organizations (including the Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs, and Bills), and his 2019 season may have been his best. The Bills rushing attack finished in the top-10 for yards (a fact that’s even more impressive when you consider that 36-year-old Frank Gore led the team in carries). Daboll has also received credit for helping to develop young signal-caller Josh Allen.

Daboll also has major experience in the playoffs. The coach has five Super Bowl rings from his various stints with New England (including the role of wide receivers coach). The 44-year-old also won a CFB national championship after serving as the co-offensive coordinator at Alabama in 2017.

Yesterday, the Freddie Kitchens era in Cleveland came to an end after just one season. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, an Ohio native, has already been mentioned as a candidate. The organization is also reportedly trying to secure interviews with Ravens OC Greg Roman and Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski was a finalist for the Browns’ HC job last year before they elected to hire Kitchens.

Black Monday Rumors: McDaniels, Bieniemy, Browns

December 30th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Rory Parks

The Giants have fired head coach Pat Shumur, the Browns have fired head coach Freddie Kitchens, Cleveland GM John Dorsey‘s fate is up in the air, Bruce Allen is out with the Redskins, Ron Rivera looks like he’s in, and we have a lot more to pass along:

The Giants are rumored to be targeting Baylor head coach Matt Rhule, but they have requested an interview with Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (via Twitter) that the Panthers have also requested a summit with Bieniemy, a branch of the fruitful Andy Reid coaching tree whom Reid feels is ready for an HC job.
We heard this morning that the Browns have requested an interview with Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, and they also want to interview Ravens OC Greg Roman, per Schefter (via Twitter). Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets that Cleveland is expected to interview Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski again. Stefanski was a finalist for the Browns’ HC job last year before they elected to hire Kitchens.
Schefter says the Browns have asked permission to interview 49ers DC Robert Saleh (Twitter link), and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com says the team plans to interview Mike McCarthy as well (Twitter link). Cleveland had an interview scheduled with McCarthy last year, but by that time, the club had already zeroed in on Kitchens, so the interview never happened. McCarthy and Dorsey worked together in Green Bay, so Dorsey may be rooting for a McCarthy hire.
In addition to the Browns, the Giants and Panthers have also requested interviews with McDaniels, as Schefter tweets.
Despite recent reports indicating that he wants to stay in Baltimore, Ravens DC Don “Wink” Martindale is generating a great deal of HC buzz, as Rapoport tweets. If he is hired, Martindale would want to pluck LSU passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Joe Brady from the collegiate ranks to be his OC. If you’ve watched college football this year, you can’t blame Martindale for that choice.
Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone will meet with owner Shad Khan tomorrow to discuss his fate, as NFL insider Adam Caplan tweets.

Browns Request Interview With Josh McDaniels

December 30th, 2019 at 9:55am CST by Rory Parks

The Browns, who fired head coach Freddie Kitchens yesterday, have requested an interview with Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com says McDaniels is the Browns’ top choice (Twitter link).

Of course, McDaniels’ brief and disastrous tenure as the Broncos’ head coach from 2009-10 and his jilting of the Colts after he agreed to become their head coach in February 2018 are well-known. But he remains one of the most respected offensive minds in the game, and he has once again become a popular head coaching candidate.

Cabot writes in a full-length piece that the Browns’ job is attractive to McDaniels, an Ohio native. The question is whether McDaniels would want to work within the Cleveland front office as it’s currently structured. We heard yesterday that GM John Dorsey may be on the hot seat, and while the report of Kitchens’ firing indicated that Dorsey was safe, that may not be the case.

Indeed, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports believes owner Jimmy Haslam will, in fact, alter the executive layer of his team, and he thinks the dynamic between chief strategist Paul DePodesta and Dorsey will change (Twitter link). Cabot confirms that there is a disconnect between DePodesta and the analytics side of the operation and Dorsey and the football side, and that disconnect would obviously need to be resolved prior to McDaniels — or anyone else — agreeing to come on board.

Because of his desirability, McDaniels can afford to be particular and can largely dictate the makeup of a team’s front office. He is likely to want a lot of authority over personnel matters, and he may want to bring current Pats exec and popular GM candidate Nick Caserio along with him.

Meanwhile, Browns assistant coaches met with team brass this morning, per Cabot. They were not fired but were given permission to seek other jobs.

Baylor head coach Matt Rhule, another top candidate for NFL head coaching jobs, is not interested in the Cleveland gig, per Michael Lomabrdi of The Athletic (via Twitter).

Browns Fire Freddie Kitchens

December 29th, 2019 at 6:53pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Freddie Kitchens era in Cleveland is over after just one season. The Browns fired their rookie head coach Sunday, according to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Browns are now officially the third team to can their head coach, and more will be coming shortly.

Kitchens’ firing represents an epic rise and fall, as he rose from a little known position coach to be the head man in Cleveland. He started last year as the Browns’ running backs coach, then took over as offensive coordinator after Todd Haley was fired. Baker Mayfield had a lot of success during the second half of 2018 for which Kitchens received a ton of credit, and GM John Dorsey gave him the full-time job to succeed Hue Jackson after the season.

The Kitchens era started off with a lot of fanfare. Cleveland had an eventful offseason, completing a blockbuster trade for Odell Beckham Jr., and there was an absurd amount of hype surrounding the team. Expectations got so high that it would’ve been hard for anyone to deliver, but Kitchens’ tenure was still a disaster by any standard. Things got off to a terrible start with a blowout loss to the Titans in their opener, and they never recovered.

Mayfield regressed considerably, and Beckham was never able to get fully integrated into the offense. There were a number of incidents that created the perception that Kitchens had lost control of the team, like Myles Garrett‘s indefinite suspension or Beckham reportedly telling other teams to ‘come get him.’

It had been widely reported that Kitchens was on the hot seat, and an embarrassing loss to the Bengals in Week 17 seemed to seal his fate. It still came as a surprise to him though, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that an “emotional” Kitchens told him on the phone that he “believed he had organizational support.”

Kitchens was in a meeting with owner Jimmy Haslam and Dorsey, a source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, which would seem to indicate Dorsey is safe despite some recent speculation to the contrary. Dorsey later issued a statement through the Browns on Twitter, confirming he isn’t going anywhere.

HC/GM Rumors: Gase, Lynn, Panthers, Shurmur

December 29th, 2019 at 11:37am CST by Rory Parks

Black Monday is tomorrow, so let’s take a look at the latest coaching and GM rumors from around the league:

This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, given that neither man was really believed to be on the hot seat, but Jets HC Adam Gase and Chargers HC Anthony Lynn will both be back in 2020, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (h/t NFL Update on Twitter).
We learned yesterday that the Panthers would seek to interview Baylor head coach Matt Rhule, which David Newton of ESPN.com confirmed today. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report believes Rhule would leave Baylor if the right opportunity presented itself, despite signing a lengthy extension with the school back in September (Twitter link).
Despite speculation that the Panthers could look to move on from GM Marty Hurney, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic says owner Dave Tepper remains intent on keeping Hurney, and Hurney wants to stay (Twitter link). Tepper does want to bring in an assistant GM, and Joe Person of The Athletic offers a list of potential candidates. The problem, as NFL insider Adam Caplan observes, is that Carolina could be blocked from interviewing candidates under contract with other teams unless the Panthers’ gig comes with decision-making responsibilities (Twitter link).
We heard earlier today that the Browns are doing their due diligence on HC candidates, which isn’t a good sign for Freddie Kitchens. As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets, the team wanted to see modest progress from Kitchens this year, which is why a loss to the Bengals on Sunday afternoon could seal his fate. But for all his faults, Kitchens remains well-liked in the building, so he’s not a goner just yet. We also heard today that Browns GM John Dorsey may be on the hot seat.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reiterates yesterday’s report that Ron Rivera is high on the Redskins‘ wish list, and that Rivera could have a new job as soon as tomorrow (video link). However, other clubs also want a crack at Rivera. One of those clubs, the Cowboys, will almost certainly move on from Jason Garrett if they are eliminated from playoff contention today, and Rapoport names Rhule, Lincoln Riley, and Rivera as names to watch for Dallas’ expected vacancy.
In the same report, RapSheet says Giants ownership is split on head coach Pat Shurmur, with Steve Tisch wanting to move on and John Mara not quite convinced. A win over the Eagles today could save Shurmur’s job.
Dan Graziano of ESPN.com confirms (via Twitter) that former Texans GM Rick Smith is definitely a name to watch if the Redskins move on from Bruce Allen, which they are expected to do. Graziano says it’s still unclear as to whether Smith wants to return to a front office, contrary to a report from last month, but if he is, Redskins owner Dan Snyder will be interested. Mark Maske of the Washington Post hears that Smith, who lost his wife to cancer 11 months ago, is not quite ready to return to football (Twitter link).

Browns GM John Dorsey On Hot Seat?

December 29th, 2019 at 10:13am CST by Rory Parks

We heard earlier this morning that the Browns are doing their due diligence on potential replacements for first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens. That report was not particularly surprising, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has since dropped a much more intriguing nugget. Per Florio, Cleveland GM John Dorsey may also be on the hot seat.

Florio’s sources have indicated that “questions have emerged” regarding Dorsey’s future in Cleveland, with one source saying the GM’s job is “not completely safe.” It still sounds more likely than not that Dorsey will be back in 2020, but it’s nonetheless notable that ownership is even considering a change.

After all, Dorsey came to the team in December 2017 and has infused a great deal of talent into the roster in a short period of time. In some respects, he may even be a victim of his own success. If you had told most people that the Browns, who have almost always been a doormat since their rebirth in 1999, would have posted at least six wins in 2018 and 2019 after finishing 0-16 in 2017, those people likely would have said that Dorsey has things headed in the right direction.

But given the expectations that came with Dorsey’s high-profile acquisitions over the past couple of years, the team’s 6-9 record in 2019 is an abject disappointment. And he was the one who spearheaded the Kitchens hire, and he also forced former OC Todd Haley onto former HC Hue Jackson, which created a disastrous relationship.

Plus, a GM is not just a fantasy football player. He must not only accumulate talent but also determine how that talent will complement each other and how personalities will mesh. Obviously, Cleveland has been a disaster in that regard this year.

Florio says chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta could be a factor in Dorsey’s fate. There were rumblings earlier in the year that DePodesta could be elevated over Dorsey, and while that didn’t happen, current rumors suggest that if DePodesta were willing to relocate to Cleveland on a full-time basis, he could end up with much more power. Or, ownership could fire Dorsey and let DePodesta choose his successor.

Even if the smart money is on Dorsey staying and Kitchens going, this is clearly a situation worth monitoring, and one that seemed completely unrealistic at the start of the season.

Browns Researching HC Candidates

December 29th, 2019 at 9:22am CST by Rory Parks

The Browns have been researching head coaching candidates, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports (via Twitter). La Canfora says Cleveland is doing its due diligence on possible replacements for first-year HC Freddie Kitchens, who may be given his walking papers after Sunday’s season finale.

Obviously, it would not be surprising to see Kitchens fired. The Browns have underachieved all season, they have looked undisciplined and sloppy, and Kitchens looks ill-equipped to handle a locker room full of talented but headstrong players. Kitchens has not helped himself either, as his words and actions have occasionally suggested that he is in over his head.

Just two weeks ago, we heard that Cleveland was planning to keep Kitchens around for 2020 and to give him a chance to right the ship. Since then, however, the Browns suffered a bad loss to the Cardinals — which included more infighting — and after keeping the Ravens in check for most of the first half last Sunday, they imploded in the final two minutes of the second quarter and ultimately lost 31-15.

The loss to Baltimore was a capsule of the Browns’ season. They played well for a stretch but ultimately unraveled when adversity struck, and Kitchens’ questionable decision-making helped key the Ravens’ comeback.

Given the talent on the roster, the Browns may be able to woo a high-profile head coaching candidate, and they are at least reviewing all of their options. A loss, or even an ugly win, against the 1-14 Bengals on Sunday afternoon could trigger Kitchens’ ouster.

Latest On Freddie Kitchens, Browns Staff

December 27th, 2019 at 8:10pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

There’s been a lot of speculation that Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens could be one and done, as Cleveland has been a dumpster fire all year long. Breer writes that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam initially seemed inclined to keep him around for a second year, but that recently Haslam has “kept his cards closer to the vest.” Even if Kitchens survives, Breer says he expects there to be significant changes to his staff. It’s been “an open secret that offensive coordinator Todd Monken hasn’t been happy” this season, he reports. How the Browns fare in Week 17 against the 1-14 Bengals could go a long way in determining Kitchens’ future.