Cleveland Browns: Bruce Arians can be the ideal head coaching candidate

As the Cleveland Browns continue the search for their next head coach, Bruce Arians could emerge as the ideal candidate for the position.

Over the past month or so, former Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has been campaigning to become the next Cleveland Browns head coach.

The 66-year-old retired coach has said that the only job that he would consider coming out of retirement for is the Cleveland Browns position.

He has used various outlets to announce his interest in the position, focusing on the affinity he has for the Browns fan base and the city of Cleveland.

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Despite his interest in the position, it does not appear that general manager John Dorsey plans on interviewing Arians. Arians said during an interview on the Rich Eisen Show that he doubts he will get an interview.

However, Arians could end up being the ideal candidate for the Browns. Arians has always been a strong offensive coach and he has transformed every team’s offense that he has coached for. He also has a history of being a strong developer of quarterbacks and being able to get the best out of the player at the position.

The biggest problem with the Browns potentially hiring Arians as head coach is his age. At 66-years-old, Arians does not have a long future ahead of him in the NFL. The Browns are most likely looking for a younger head coach that can be paired with quarterback Baker Mayfield for a long time.

But when the Browns fired Hue Jackson in October, no one would have expected the Browns being in playoff contention at this point. The Browns are showing that they are ready to compete for the playoffs in 2019 and beyond. It would make sense for the organization to hire a coach that has experience leading teams to the playoffs in the NFL.

In his five seasons as a head coach, Arians has led two of his teams to the playoffs, including leading the 2015 Cardinals to the NFC Championship game. With a roster that is ready to compete for the playoffs, the Browns should consider hiring a coach that can take advantage of a roster built that way.

Although the Browns are filled with young talent and plenty of cap space and draft picks to continue to add talent, they are in a position to win now. With a quarterback on a rookie deal for the next four seasons, the Browns need to take advantage of that time. Once a quarterback signs an extension, it is harder to build a supporting cast with the quarterback taking a big dent out of the cap space.

The Browns need to capitalize on having that contract for the next couple of seasons, so adding a seasoned coach like Arians would make a lot of sense. Although he is not a young coach, the Browns would be able to compete for the playoffs with him at the helm. And the Browns could still have a young coach that has the ability to be a head coach on Arians’ staff.

Arians has said that he would keep current Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens on his staff if Cleveland were to hire him. During Arians’ time as the Cardinals head coach, Kitchens was on his staff as the quarterbacks coach for seasons, then one season as the running backs coach, so the two coaches are familiar with each other.

Kitchens has done an exceptional job with the Browns since taking over as the play-caller during Week 9 of the season. He has also improved the performance of Mayfield, as the rookie signal caller has looked much more comfortable playing in Kitchens’ offense compared to Todd Haley’s offense at the beginning of the season.

FOX Sports insider Jay Glazer has reported that Kitchens has already locked up the Browns offensive coordinator position in 2019, no matter who Cleveland hires as head coach. Noting his work with Mayfield, Glazer said that keeping Kitchens on staff will open up the coaching search for the Browns.

If the Browns are so high on Kitchens, then there is reason to believe that the organization may have aspirations of him being a head coach. He is a younger coach that does a good job of putting his offense in the best position to succeed. As teams try to find the next Sean McVay, Kitchens could be exactly that for the Browns.

The issue with Kitchens is he has only been calling plays for half of the season. Despite his success, he has yet to build up a strong enough résumé to be considered a head coaching candidate. That is where Arians can step in and be the ideal candidate for the Browns.

Since Arians and Kitchens already have a relationship, it could be easy for the Browns front office to convince Arians to groom Kitchens to be a head coach. Having Arians teach Kitchens the ins-and-outs of being a head coach, the Browns could have Kitchens succeed Arians as head coach when Arians is ready to retire again.

By having Kitchens take over for Arians, the Browns would be able to keep continuity in the organization, which is exactly what every team wants to have when they have a young quarterback. Not only would the Browns have the ability to compete for the playoffs in 2019 and beyond, but they could have their young head coach waiting in the wings.

Arians may not be the sexy hire that Browns fans want, but he has all of the intangibles that the Browns need at head coach. And having the ability to compete for the playoffs while grooming their next head coach in Kitchens, Arians could emerge as the ideal candidate for Dorsey and the rest of the Browns organization.