Hue Jackson - Pro Football Rumors

Hue Jackson Wants Browns To Draft Myles Garrett

April 14th, 2017 at 10:51am CST by Connor J. Byrne

While some members of the Browns organization want the team to select North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky with the first pick in the draft, head coach Hue Jackson isn’t among them. Jackson has thrown his support behind Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett, reports Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.

Considering both Jackson’s offensive background and the Browns’ lack of ideal quarterback options, it perhaps speaks volumes that he’d rather grab a defender No. 1 overall. He’s hardly alone in preferring Garrett over Trubisky, though, with one NFL personnel executive telling Cabot that “it’s not even close between Garrett and Trubisky.” However, Trubisky isn’t without his supporters – another personnel man informed Cabot he has more upside than Eagles signal-caller Carson Wentz, who went second overall last year after the Browns traded out of that spot.

The Browns have a second first-rounder, No. 12 overall, though it’s doubtful Trubisky will still be available when the time comes for them to make that pick. That means their bigwigs are going to have to make a choice between Garrett or Trubisky, which could be a problem. There’s “some discord” among the team’s decision-makers, with a clash potentially occurring between the old- and new-school members of the organization, multiple sources have told Cabot. Led by general manager Sashi Brown and chief strategy officer/former baseball executive Paul DePodesta, the Browns’ front office heavily emphasizes analytics. It doesn’t seem that everyone in Cleveland is on board with that, which bears watching for a club with a franchise-altering call to make in two weeks.

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Hue Jackson Pushing Browns To Hire New GM

January 9th, 2017 at 10:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have a new defensive coordinator and there could be more major changes coming down the pike. Coach Hue Jackson has “told numerous associates in and out of the Browns organization” that he would campaign for the team to add a new general manager this offseason, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora adds that Jackson has already compiled a list of candidates that he would like to be considered for the position.

The Browns do not currently have a GM but Sashi Brown – the team’s “Executive Vice President of Football Operations” – acts as the team’s top decision maker for the roster. Reading between the lines, it sounds like Jackson isn’t thrilled with Brown’s work in the first year of their partnership.

No one expected Cleveland to do much in 2016, but everything has to be evaluated after a dismal 1-15 season. Under Brown, Cleveland amassed an impressive pile of draft picks, but Carson Wentz‘s strong rookie year has led many fans to question the decision to trade away the No. 2 overall pick.

If the Browns do pursue a GM, they might have some overlap with the Niners’ search.

Jackson: Browns Not Making Thomas Trade

December 8th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Thomas trade rumors figure to surface again once the Browns’ season concludes, with the perennial All-Pro set to go into his age-32 season in 2017 on the heels of what could be a winless Cleveland campaign.

But Hue Jackson insisted an offseason Thomas trade is not going to occur, no matter how much sense it would make for a franchise that’s attempting one of the biggest grass-roots rebuilds in modern football history.

“That is not happening, OK? — or I am going with him,” Jackson said, via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “OK? I guarantee you that. I am going with him.”

Jackson also said the organization did not discuss trading Thomas at the deadline as it did last season, when the Broncos nearly acquired the six-time All-Pro for a Shane Ray-fronted package. But the first-year Browns coach charged with orchestrating this re-emergence said he would have objected if management attempted to push a trade through. Talk was the Browns wanted a second-round pick for the now-32-year-old left tackle, and although teams were interested, the interest did not reach the level it did in 2015.

“I would have [put my foot down]. There is no question,” Jackson said. “Joe Thomas means a lot to me personally and a lot to this organization and this team and this city. He has done too much, and we need to keep him here. Joe is an asset to this organization is so many different ways.”

Thomas is signed through 2018, due to make a nonguaranteed $10MM in both ’17 and ’18, so interest should resurface — potentially around draft weekend. Cleveland’s longest-tenured player has repeatedly expressed desire to stay with the team despite the franchise’s present status, and that remains as the Wisconsin product finishes out his 10th season.

“I’m a Clevelander,” Thomas said, via Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN.com. “I’ve spent the majority of my adult life here. Every day when I come to work, it’s ‘Let’s turn this team into a consistent winner.’ Because it would be such a special story. It would be like when the Cubs won the World Series. … It’s so important for me to be here for the turnaround. I don’t want to just get a Super Bowl ring [by] being traded to a dream team. It would feel unsatisfying.”

Merrill reports Jackson did talk to Thomas after he voiced what many took as an issue with the Browns letting so much talent depart in free agency, most notably offensive linemen Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack, with Thomas telling the first-year coach he did not mean the comments to be controversial.

Pollard Alliance Releases HC Candidates List

December 7th, 2016 at 10:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Fritz Pollard Alliance Foundation typically releases its list of recommended minority head coaching candidates in January. This year, we have an early preview of the list, courtesy of Tom Pelissero of USA Today. This year’s suggested candidates will include Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, Cardinals OC Harold Goodwin, and Vikings DC George Edwards.

Austin was a popular candidate for coaching vacancies last year but ultimately did not find a head coaching gig. After interviewing with the Browns, Dolphins, Giants, and Eagles, Austin indicated that he felt only two of the interviews were “legitimate” while the other two were only done to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which stipulates that a minority candidate must be interviewed for every job. Since the Browns hired a black coach in Hue Jackson, Austin presumably isn’t accusing Cleveland of interviewing him to fulfill the requirement.

The Bills installed Lynn as their OC in September after ousting Greg Roman. The Bills have been up-and-down this year, but they now stand at 6-6 despite injuries to key players. Lynn has had to run the Bills’ offense without star wide receiver Sammy Watkins for much of the year and teams will certainly take notice of his capable job despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.

Goodwin has made no secret of his desire to land a head coaching job. However, there are some factors working against him. First, the Cardinals offense has struggled this season. Secondly, despite rave reviews from those around him, Goodwin does not call the plays in Arizona, and that could deter interested teams.

Edwards was placed on the Pollard list for the first time last year and he returns this season. Like Goodwin, he does not call plays for his team despite the coordinator title. However, he comes with a strong recommendation from head coach Mike Zimmer and he did call the plays against the Cowboys when Zimmer was recovering from surgery. With Edwards at the wheel, the Vikings allowed just 17 points against one of the league’s most electric offenses.

The foundation also released a list of general manager candidates including Giants VP of player evaluation Marc Ross, Raiders director of player personnel Joey Clinkscales, former Lions GM and current Giants exec Martin Mayhew, and Eagles director of college scouting Trey Brown.

Robert Griffin III Could Start This Week

December 5th, 2016 at 7:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After being cleared for contact last week, there’s a “real chance” Robert Griffin III starts at quarterback for the Browns when they face the the Bengals this weekend, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson, however, says it’s “too soon” to determine if RG3 will be under center on Sunday, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

If Griffin is able to take hold of the Browns’ starting job, there’s a great likelihood that he’ll hold the position for the remainder of the season so that Cleveland management can get a better view of him, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reported last week. RG3 signed a two-year deal with the Browns over the offseason, but was injured in the club’s first game of the season and has been on injured reserve ever since.

But given that the Browns reportedly don’t view Griffin as simply a short-term investment (a sentiment with which RG3 concurs, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal writes), the final four games of the 2016 campaign could give the club’s brass an insight as to whether Griffin will be worth his 2017 cap charge of $9.25MM. Cleveland’s other options at quarterback include Josh McCown, who has started the Browns’ past two games, and rookie Cody Kessler, whom the club is considering shutting down following a recent concussion.

AFC Notes: Browns, Bengals, Pats, Titans

November 27th, 2016 at 9:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After Cleveland fell to 0-12 with a loss to the Giants on Sunday, Browns head coach Hue Jackson had a meeting with his bosses and showed up 40 minutes late to his press conference. Jackson then assured reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, that his job is secure. “Let me go on record saying I have full support of Jimmy and Dee (Haslam) and Sashi (Brown) and his crew,” stated Jackson. “We’re not apart or splintered or whatever term you guys want to use. There’s none of that going on.” Jackson, who’s in his first year with the rebuilding Browns, was fighting back tears and said “being 0-12 is probably the hardest thing ever.”

Ray Horton Discusses Job Security

November 26th, 2016 at 9:07am CST by Ben Levine

Ray Horton‘s first season in Cleveland hasn’t gone as planned. The Browns’ defensive coordinator has struggled mightily through the team’s first 11 games. Not only are the Browns winless, but the defense ranks towards the bottom of the league in nearly every statistical category.

To make matters worse, a report earlier this month from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora indicated that Horton could be on the hot seat. La Canfora reported that Horton “is facing a very uncertain future.”

“Horton is a very unpopular pick in various quadrants of the organization to return as defensive coordinator but is supported staunchly by [head coach Hue] Jackson,” the reporter wrote.

Horton addressed these reports yesterday. Unsurprisingly, the long-time coach told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that he’s not worried about his job security.

“I don’t live that way, I don’t want my kids to live that way and I don’t want my players to live that way,” said Horton. “I would think, ‘man, what an awful life if you have to worry all the time about stuff.’ You do the best job you can in life with what you have, meaning personally. Do I worry that way? I think you guys know me very well. I try to be very honest and very fair. I don’t live that way.”

Horton cited the mediocre records of Tom Landry, Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson when they were first getting started in the NFL, noting that it takes some time to build a competent team or unit.

“I’m not comparing myself to them, please do not think I am – but you go through things in this business,” he said. “Locally, you look at the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had LeBron, LeBron left and LeBron came back. There are a lot of pieces to the puzzle, and to answer your question very bluntly, I don’t live that way. I never have, and hopefully, I never will.”

Is the coach at least seeing some improvement from his defense?

“It’s hard to see maybe from the score and the record, but we are getting better,” said Horton. “Our guys are getting better, and we’re going to put this together. I’m encouraged every day because our guys are getting better. They’re understanding more. They’re seeing more. They’re getting live action out there.

“When you talk to coaches on other teams, they see it. A lot of times, it is hard to see the forest through the trees, but we have some guys that are playing very well that are going to be the foundation of our team. They’re going to be the ones that help us get over the top.”

Following two seasons with the Titans, Horton returned to the Browns this offseason. The 56-year-old was Cleveland’s defensive coordinator in 2013.

Browns Notes: Jackson, Kessler, RG3

November 14th, 2016 at 8:42pm CST by Ben Levine

The Browns may be 0-10, but head coach Hue Jackson apparently isn’t in danger of losing his job. Executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown told reporters that Jackson won’t be fired despite the team’s losing record.

“We are not focused on 0-16,” Brown said (via Tom Withers of the Associated Press). “Hue is going to be here as our head coach. We talked about continuity being one of the core premises of what we wanted accomplished going out in January. We know that we have a head coach that can be successful here and lead us to a lot of victories and a lot of winning.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes out of Cleveland…

For what it’s worth, Jackson never thought he was close to losing his job. “I never thought I was going anywhere,” he said. “I know that’s been part of the plan since Day 1, before I took the job. I felt very comfortable. I know there has been a lot of mudslinging going around, but I get it. That’s part of it when you have the record that we do, I expect things to be said. But we are comfortable and we know exactly what we’re trying to do.”
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes that the decision to fire Jackson would ultimately be up to the team’s owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam. Furthermore, Florio notes that no one has said that the head coach is definitively safe if the team does finish the season without a victory.
Marla Ridenour of Ohio.com writes that Browns’ refusal to acknowledge his team’s mistakes during the draft “doesn’t bode well” for the Browns’ future. When asked if the team made a mistake dealing away the second-overall pick (or if they made a mistake selecting Cody Kessler), Brown continued to preach the team’s process, stating they were “pleased with the decision we made.”
Robert Griffin III is hoping to see the field again this season. The quarterback told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that he hopes to return from his shoulder injury in 2016. “We’ve got six games left this year, a chance to finish strong, and if I get a chance to be a part of that, I definitely want to,” Griffin said. Brown told reporters that Griffin is on pace to return this season, but he notes that the decision will ultimately be up to Jackson. Griffin is eligible to be activated from the injured reserve at any time.

AFC Notes: Browns, Jets, Broncos

November 11th, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Cleveland fell to 0-10 on Thursday when it dropped a 28-7 decision in Baltimore, but first-year Browns head coach Hue Jackson hasn’t lost any support from ownership. “Jimmy Haslam and Dee Haslam have been outstanding,” Jackson said Friday (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com). “Obviously, they don’t like to lose, either, but they understand the plan and what we’re trying to accomplish.” Considering the Browns are in a full rebuild and have “the youngest team in the league with the most rookies,” as Jackson pointed out, it’s no surprise he’s safe.

Here’s more on Cleveland two other AFC clubs:

While Jackson’s not in jeopardy of losing his job, he did make a head-scratching choice against the Ravens. During a 13-7 game in the third quarter, Jackson pulled rookie quarterback Cody Kessler in favor of Josh McCown. The veteran completed just 6 of 13 passes for 59 yards and two interceptions, making Kessler’s 11-of-18, 91-yard, one-touchdown performance look great in comparison. Jackson opened up about the QB switch Friday, saying (per Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com), “At the time, it was the right decision to make for our football team because I was looking for a spark, and I didn’t get it. I am not going to be perfect in everything I do, and I am not going to do what everybody thinks that I should do. I am going to do what I think is best for our football team. Last night, I made the choice, and it did not work out. I will take the heat.” The Browns will give the reins back to Kessler against the Steelers in Week 11.
Jets coach Todd Bowles announced that quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will be a game-time decision on Sunday (Twitter link via the team). If Fitzpatrick’s knee injury prevents him from playing against the Rams, the Jets will turn to second-year man Bryce Petty for his first-ever NFL start.
Defensive end Derek Wolfe and cornerback Aqib Talib will miss the Broncos’ game against the high-flying Saints on Sunday, but head coach Gary Kubiak is optimistic the banged-up pair will return after the team’s Week 11 bye. “I think we’re lucky with Derek, and Aqib has kind of been trending in that direction that whole time,” said Kubiak (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post). “He’s been out there all week. He’s been a part of what we’re doing, but just not ready to get turned loose yet.” Talib’s back injury also kept him out last week for the Broncos’ 30-20 loss to the Raiders, while Wolfe suffered a hairline fracture in his right elbow.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

North Notes: Jackson, Lewis, Jeffery

October 23rd, 2016 at 12:36pm CST by Rory Parks

Hue Jackson has his work cut out for him as the head coach of the Browns, but he had the opportunity to succeed Marvin Lewis as the Bengals‘ head coach if he so chose. As Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes, “Jackson confirmed this week that he passed up an opportunity to succeed [Lewis] in Cincinnati, taking the Browns job instead.” Of course, even if Lewis wanted to hand the baton to Jackson at some point down the line, it would have been difficult for Jackson to turn down a head coaching job elsewhere, as there is no guarantee that Cincinnati ownership would have gone along with Lewis’ plan, or that Lewis would have even been around to pass the torch.

Jackson, though, was also motivated by the opportunity to rebuild the Cleveland franchise, and by his friendship with Lewis. Jackson said, “That is Marvin’s football team. He’s been there a long time. It’s hard to ever replace a best friend that way and be there waiting behind. I didn’t think it was the right thing for me to do. I didn’t think it would be right for their team.”

Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from the league’s north divisions:

The Browns recently hosted tackle Pierce Burton on a visit, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com takes an in-depth look at how Bears wideout Alshon Jefferey could fare on the open market this offseason. Historically speaking, Jeffery is unlikely to be hit with the franchise tag for a second consecutive year, and a player with his ability does not often reach the open market. Fitzgerald believes Chicago will regret not locking Jeffery up long-term, and that the South Carolina product’s next contract could pay him over $14MM per season.
Over a month after the deal was consummated, there is one more detail to pass along from the Sam Bradford trade. We already knew that, if the Vikings reach the NFC Championship Game this year, the conditional 2018 fourth-rounder they are required to send to the Eagles would become a third-rounder. But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, if that 2018 fourth-rounder does indeed become a third, Philadelphia will send back a 2018 seventh-round choice to Minnesota.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press examines pending free agents at linebacker that the Lions could target in the offseason. New England’s Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower are both familiar to GM Bob Quinn and would represent upgrades for Detroit, although Hightower is far more likely to reach the open market than Collins. Birkett also names Nick Perry as a realistic option.
Earlier today, we learned that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger may miss just one game and could be back in time for the team’s Week 9 matchup against Baltimore.