The Cleveland Browns were the toast of the NFL entering the 2019 regular season, with many people expecting the team to catapult to the playoffs and potentially challenge for a Super Bowl championship.
Fast forward to the conclusion of the 2019 season and the Browns were an epic disappointment, despite an assortment of talent, and ended up with a 6-10 record under the watch of first year had coach Freddie Kitchens, who was fired following the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday.
“We thank Freddie for his hard work and commitment to this organization but did not see the success or opportunities for improvement to move forward with him as our head coach,” the Haslams said (h/t ESPN). “Our focus is on hiring an exceptional leader for this football team and we will take a comprehensive approach to this process. We are excited about the core players we have to build around and develop and we look forward to bringing in a strong head coach that will put this group of players in the best position to succeed.”
Kitchens joins a concerning list of coaches that the Browns have fired over the past decade, which seems to be growing by the year, and the Browns will, once again, be in the market for another head coach.
Kitchens seemed to dismiss the notion that he would be fired, and reports indicate he was shocked that he got the ax as he had assurances from the organization that he would be brought back in 2020. However, Sunday’s loss to the then 1-15 Cincinnati Bengals made the move impossible to delay any longer.
“We’ve got meetings scheduled through next week, and I’m looking forward to going to work tomorrow,” Kitchens said following the game. “They have not given me any indication of anything else. Mr. Jimmy and Dee, I think they want me to do my job, and that’s what I’m gonna do — until they tell me not to, if they tell me not to.”
It can be argued that Kitchens shouldn’t have gotten the job in the first place, and his tenure with the Browns showed that he may have been in over his head. The Browns ranked in the top five in penalties and penalty yardage all season.
Now, the Browns will hope to get it right with their next head coach, as they have a roster that is primed to win, but needs the right culture to get things on track and headed in the right direction.