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FanSided

Grading each aspect of the Cleveland Browns offseason

By Randy Gurzi

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 25: Wide receiver Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants reacts before taking on the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 25, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 25: Wide receiver Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants reacts before taking on the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 25, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Cleveland Browns
CLEVELAND, OH – DECEMBER 23: Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens looks on during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 23, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Coaching Hires

After moving on from Hue Jackson as the head coach, the Browns needed to make the right hire. Again, this whole thing only works if Baker Mayfield is comfortable and he already had two head coaches in his rookie season. Cleveland needs a guy he can be comfortable with.

They found that in head coach Freddie Kitchens, who took over as offensive coordinator when Jackson and former OC Todd Haley were fired. The Kitchens’ hire has had its share of critics, but it makes way too much sense for them not to have gone this route.

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He and Mayfield were great together in 2018 as the offense soared. Now, Mayfield doesn’t lose that half-season of development he had with the former Alabama quarterback. On top of that, Kitchens is a down to earth guy who seems capable of handling some of the big egos now in the locker room — especially considering he already has the respect of Mayfield on his side.

One of the concerns is his lack of experience, but that’s being overplayed. Being a rookie coach doesn’t mean what it used to. For example, Sean McVay won 11 games in his first season in Los Angeles, Matt Nagy won 12 games for the Bears as a rookie and Frank Reich was 10-6 for the Colts. If a guy can coach, he can coach. You don’t need an NFL retread to have success.

As much as I liked the Kitchens hire, Cleveland did just as well with his assistants. They brought in Todd Monken from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be the new offensive coordinator. He won’t be instilling his own offense, but he should incorporate some wrinkles from his air-attack style. He also has experience as a head coach at the collegiate level.

For their defensive coordinator position, they went with Seve Wilks who also has experience as a head coach after serving in that role for the Arizona Cardinals in 2017. That season was a disaster, but that’s not on Wilks. The organization was a mess and wasn’t built for success. He should be even better returning to a role he excelled at for the Carolina Panthers in the past.

Cleveland also added Mike Priefer, who was being courted by several franchises to run their special teams. This is an area that needs massive improvement and he can bring that.

Grade: A

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