Cleveland Browns are handling the hiring process the correct way

The Cleveland Browns may be undergoing another search for a general manager and head coach, but they have the right process in place this time around.

The Cleveland Browns are once again starting from scratch as they are in the middle of their search for a head coach and general manager for the 2020 season. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam will be hiring the fifth general manager and fifth full-time head coach since becoming owner of the team in 2012.

During each of those hiring searches, Haslam has either had a general manager already in place or hires the general manager before the head coach. Handling their hiring process in that manner has not resulted in the most functional decision-making or success on the field.

After forcing head coaches into arranged marriages with the general manager or head of football operations that does not create the same vision for the organization, Haslam is changing things up and is going with an atypical approach.

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During his end of season press conference with the media on Thursday, Haslam said the organization will be hiring the head coach first. Then the head coach will have a large input in who the team hires to be the general manager.

This approach has become more common in the NFL and it is seeing success. The two most notable examples are the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, hiring Pete Carroll as head coach and then John Schneider as general manager. Most recently, the San Francisco 49ers hired Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch as a partnership in 2017.

By using this hiring process, there is less chance of dysfunction in the organization. Since both the head coach and front office will have a trusted partnership, there will be a clearer vision for the organization. This will allow the head coach and front office to take a similar approach when it comes to deciding on personnel matters, and there will be less of a chance for internal disagreements and potential dysfunction.

As the Browns have struggled with multiple sides of the organization having their own opinions and there has been a lack of following through with collaboration, anyway the Browns can create a smoother process in the front office will be beneficial for the organization. Giving the head coach the option to bring in his own guy to be the general manager and letting them work hand-in-hand should create a smooth and fluid process when making decisions.

It is not the ordinary approach and when handled the wrong way could cause the head coach to have too much power in the organization. However, it is an approach that is worth the risks for the Browns after the internal dysfunction they dealt with in the past year or two. It is a different hiring process than normal, but the Browns deciding to run their hiring process with this approach is the right decision.