Cleveland Browns: Vegas expects Jackson to be first coach fired in 2018

Many expected Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson to be fired after guiding the team to a winless 2017 season, and Las Vegas still doesn’t expect Jackson to be head coach for long in 2018.

With the 2018 NFL season quickly approaching, Las Vegas is beginning to set their odds on all of the miscellaneous events in the NFL. That includes odds of which NFL head coach will be the first to be fired during the 2018 season, which Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson sits at the top of the list.

After going 1-31 in his first two seasons with the Browns, there was good reason for Jackson to be relieved of his duties during the offseason. It is obvious that Vegas does not like Jackson’s odds of remaining head coach of the Browns for long next season, as OddsShark shared the odds on Tuesday.

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After the Browns overhauled their roster in the offseason, there will be a lot more pressure on Jackson to win games. And he will need to win games early, as his leash with general manager John Dorsey will likely not be a long one.

In his first two seasons with the Browns, Jackson did not have an established quarterback under center. In 2016, injuries to Josh McCown and Robert Griffin III forced rookie Cody Kessler into starting eight games.

In 2017, the lack of a solid quarterback room pushed rookie DeShone Kizer into being the starter, even though it was obvious he needed time to learn the NFL.

But in 2018, Jackson will have Tyrod Taylor and Drew Stanton as his quarterbacks to avoid pushing rookie Baker Mayfield into playing too early. Jackson will need to show that he can win ball games with a solid quarterback like Taylor under center.

Jackson will also have an offensive coordinator other than himself on the staff for the first time. If Jackson continues to mismanage games now that he does not have to focus on play-calling, it will not be a good look for his future.

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But with a revamped roster and not having to worry about play-calling, Jackson is going to need to win early on in the season if he does not want to be the first NFL head coach fired in 2018.