Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that the Browns’ decision to promote Freddie Kitchens to head coach this past January was not universally supported within the team’s front office.
According to La Canfora, the Browns’ analytics department believed Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski was the best candidate for the job. However, team owner Jimmy Haslam among other decision-makers decided to go against their recommendation and elevated Kitchens.
Kitchens reportedly had “strong internal support” for the job from the football operations department due to his work with QB Baker Mayfield in the second half of last season.
This season hasn’t gone as many had hoped for the Browns and Mayfield, as their passing game appears to have regressed, despite the addition of Odell Beckham Jr.
Cleveland is currently 2-6 on the season and La Canfora says there is now some doubt about Kitchens’ future beyond this season.
Sources tell La Canfora that back in 2016 when the Browns hired Hue Jackson, the Browns’ analytics team strongly supported Sean McDermott for their coaching job.
Stefanski, 37, interviewed for a few head-coaching jobs last year and could end up being a hot candidate in next year’s head-coaching cycle, depending on how things playout for the Vikings in the second half.
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