There it is — one and done.
The Cleveland Browns have fired rookie head coach Freddie Kitchens after his first season with the Browns, according to an announcement from the team.
Freddie Kitchens has been relieved of his duties as head coach
📰 » https://t.co/1xJHLKsP0N pic.twitter.com/iCsqnlDeDV
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 30, 2019
This move has been expected since this morning, but it’s now official. After the Browns’ loss to the woeful Bengals today, Kitchens said he would come to work tomorrow and continue to do his job as he always has. That’s no longer going to be the case as he finds himself on the unemployment list.
Kitchens took over Hue Jackson and Gregg Williams this past offseason. In his time with Cleveland, he coached the team to a 6-10 record and won two of eight challenges. The Browns finish the year in third place in the AFC North behind the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Beyond Kitchens’s failures in the basic game record sense, he seemed to have lost control of his team. Odell Beckham, Jr. is disgruntled and has been seen having heated confrontations with his coach. David Njoku went as far to say he would consider sitting out the 2020 season if Kitchens returned in 2020. And, of course, who could forget Myles Garrett ripping off Mason Rudolph’s helmet and hitting the Steelers’ quarterback over the head with it? While that can’t necessarily be blamed on Kitchens, it is just another example of something that went wrong this year.
The Browns were expected to be atop the AFC North but those expectations have not gone according to plan. There are many people who can be blamed for this, but Kitchens is extremely responsible and he is now out of a job.
It’s also worth noting that general manager John Dorsey’s job status was in question, but he released a statement regarding Kitchens’ firing which suggests Dorsey will return in 2020.
Initial candidates to monitor for the Browns’ vacancy include Mike McCarthy, Gregg Williams, and Marvin Lewis.
