Getty Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens
Everyone has their favorite character from the popular TV show ‘The Office.’ For most, it’s probably Jim Halpert or Dwight Schrute, maybe you’re just a big fan of Pam Beasley. But one thing that seems certain is that very few people would call Todd Packer their favorite, so that’s not ideal for the Cleveland Browns.
Fortunately, the fact Packer wasn’t a fan-favorite on the popular TV show doesn’t impact the Browns from a football standpoint. But it’s hard to deny the comparison Laces Out of Barstool Sports revealed out shortly the news came that Cleveland is set to make Freddie Kitchens their next head coach.
For what it’s worth, I can’t really ignore the comparison. Although Kitchens’ new look with the added facial hair makes it a bit tougher to link. If we’re talking strictly the days from when Kitchens was with the Arizona Cardinals, though, it’s where the comparisons stand out.
Freddie Kitchens’ Impressive Rise
Kitchens, who’s currently 44 years old, has bounced around with a few different teams but made the jump to the NFL back in 2006 as the tight ends coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He spent one season there before taking the same job with the Cardinals from 2007-12 and proceeded to coach the quarterbacks there from 2013-16 and finally running backs in 2017.
The longtime positional coach was hired by the Browns prior to the 2018 season as the running backs and associate head coach. After the first eight weeks of the season, the team opted to fire head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley, naming Kitchens the interim offensive coordinator.
Over the final eight games of the season with Kitchens running the offense, the Browns went 5-3 with their only losses coming against playoff teams who all won their divisions. In that span, Cleveland averaged 23.7 points per game and scored 21 or more points in all but two games.
Browns Part Ways With Gregg Williams
With the decision to make Kitchens the next head coach, it’s not surprising to see the decision made on Gregg Williams’ future. Williams took over as the interim head coach in place of Jackson, and as previously mentioned, led the Browns to a solid finish to the year.
But as ESPN’s Dan Graziano revealed, the team relieved Williams of his duties and he’s no longer with the team.
The Browns have relieved defensive coordinator Gregg Williams of his duties and he is no longer with the team, sources tell @PatMcManamon and me.
It wouldn’t have made sense for the team to try to keep Williams in another capacity after he was passed on for the full-time head coaching gig. The team’s former defensive coordinator and second-half coach will now be on the open market and should draw a decent amount of interest as well.
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