Report: Cleveland Browns ownership wants Josh McDaniels, Meyer consulting

Cleveland Browns ownership, who want Josh McDaniels as head coach, is reportedly consulting with Urban Meyer about a potential head coaching change.

Freddie Kitchens may be wrapping up his first season as the Cleveland Browns head coach, but it may be his only season as head coach. Browns ownership is reportedly consulting with Urban Meyer about a potential head coaching change, as Dee Haslam wants Josh McDaniels to be the next head coach.

Prior to the Browns Week 15 game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Browns front office reportedly was still planning on keeping Kitchens in 2020 “barring a horrific collapse or circumstance to end the season.” The Browns may be in the middle of that type of collapse.

After losing three out of their last four games and being eliminated from playoff contention, Kitchens is firmly on the hot seat. So much so that Benjamin Allbright of the Pro Football Network is hearing that former Ohio State head coach, Urban Meyer, is consulting with the Browns about a potential head coaching change. And if the Browns do make a change, McDaniels could be the No. 1 target, at least for the Haslam family.

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"Allbright is hearing that the disagreement between management and ownership continues when it comes to the status of Kitchens. Rumor has it that Dee Haslam wants Josh McDaniels while GM John Dorsey would like to retain Kitchens.Throughout this, Haslam has been consulting with Urban Meyer (who has all of the sudden turned into a coaching consultant [Washington, Colorado State]). All that said, Haslam is super sensitive about the Browns reputation as an unstable franchise. All options remain on the table for the organization. – Pro Football Network"

Meyer has been viewed as a potential candidate if the Browns decide to move on from Kitchens because of his relationship with the Haslam family. However, because of Meyer having a brain cyst, there are questions about if he would be able to be a long-term head coach and deal with the stress due to his health. So it appears he is currently more comfortable with using his relationships to be a consultant to give his advice about a head coaching change.

McDaniels has been connected to the Browns for several years and almost every time the Browns have an opening. The New England offensive coordinator has been viewed as one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL and is a Northeast Ohio native. His connection to Ohio makes many believe he would want to come to Cleveland to help return the Browns to prominence.

In 2014, the Haslam’s and the Browns appeared to be in position to hire McDaniels to be their next head coach. However, McDaniels pulled himself out of the running after the Browns conducted more interviews and told McDaniels he was not the front-runner.

McDaniels was reportedly the coach the Browns ownership wanted last offseason before they hired Kitchens. But instead of the Haslam’s inserting themselves into the head coaching search, they let John Dorsey and the front office handle the entire process, which did not include an interview with McDaniels.

There are concerns about McDaniels being a candidate because he has shown he is willing to back out of a deal at any time. After being named the Indianapolis Colts head coach during the 2018 offseason, McDaniels backed out right before he signed the deal. Following that situation, McDaniels was not a popular name to interview last offseason.

However, according to Albert Breer of the MMQB, he believes Cleveland is one of the few jobs McDaniels would leave New England for. He cites McDaniels being an Ohio native, but also because he would get to work with Baker Mayfield.

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It remains to be seen if the Browns decide to fire Kitchens after just one season. But if they do, it appears it would be a much more chaotic process to find the next coach and could potentially lead to a power struggle within the organization.

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