Cleveland Browns: Coaching search is complicated

The Cleveland Browns looming decision with the head coach position is more complicated and more difficult than picking Baker Mayfield at the top of the 2018 NFL Draft.

The upcoming head coaching hiring process for the Cleveland Browns has been oversimplified by many onlookers, assuming things can work that are far more difficult to carry out in practice. It’s really difficult to imagine that, short of keeping the staff intact as is, there won’t be some major changes.

The idea that there’s some silver bullet solution that allows them to keep Gregg Williams, Freddie Kitchens and add another head coach is a long shot at best and may actually do more harm than good.

There is some sentiment that Williams should keep the job because of his 5-2 record and far too much weight will be put on the result of the Baltimore Ravens game in the season finale. A win and the emotional plea to keep this group going will be emboldened while a loss, even in the face of a 5-3 stretch, may erase much of the credibility he’s built to this point.

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Williams appears to have been the right man at the right time for the Browns after they got rid of Hue Jackson and Todd Haley. Direct, no nonsense, and he’s been able to tap into the collective chip on the shoulders of the locker room and their fight for respect within the league. To his credit, Williams has pushed all of the right buttons to this point and the team has responded in a big way.

Bountygate is going to hang over his head for the rest of his career, but beyond that, of the five wins the team has notched since he took over, the Browns won by one score in three of them. If the Browns were 2-5 or 3-4 instead of 5-2, there would likely be far less interest in keeping Williams in the fold.

In particular, the game against the Denver Broncos featured a mishandling of a late game situation after the decision to go for it that could’ve cost them the game. Had they lost that game, it would certainly be held against him.

The case can be made that in addition to simply firing Hue and Haley and eliminating their negative impact on the team, the Browns were going to improve. The wins they’ve gotten have been against teams that are all 6-9. For a team that hadn’t won anything in the previous two and a half years, so it stands out.

It certainly seems like Williams deserves some credit for being a stabilizing force if nothing else, but it’s reasonable the Browns were going to beat mediocre teams simply on their talent. This is another reason the game with the Ravens will be such a focal point for onlookers, because they are vying for the division crown and a playoff berth.

The other concern with Williams is that this emotion, the galvanizing force that has brought the team together this year could wear off only to leave Williams as a poor coach, similar to Romeo Crennel the year after going 10-6. Williams is more capable than Crennel was, but it’s a question if he’s good enough to warrant keeping long term.

There is far more passion in finding a way to keep Freddie Kitchens. Whether that involves keeping him as the offensive coordinator or even making him the head coach. Despite what will only be eight games, he’s developed chemistry with Baker Mayfield and the offense has improved by leaps and bounds. It also seems like what he’s doing is more built to last than anything else they might lose on the coaching staff.

There is a fear is that if Kitchens gets an opening, someone will come in and swoop him up for another job. And while that’s possible, it Kitchens may not be in a hurry to leave. Mayfield has the potential to be an elite quarterback and the more experience Kitchens has with him, the brighter his star will shine in terms of job prospects. Sustained success with Mayfield may enable him to pick his dream job as opposed to taking a slight promotion now. Look at how many head coaches Tom Brady has gotten hired.

(Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

One of the ideas that has been suggested is the Browns could hire Bruce Arians, former Arizona Cardinals head coach, currently working for CBS, and that he could keep the staff in tact with Kitchens as his offensive coordinator and Williams running the defense. He openly lobbying for the job. Kitchens was on his staff in Arizona. Arians has said he wants to keep Kitchens and doesn’t want to take over play calling. There’s a lot that’s promising here, but keeping the entire staff and adding Arians sounds like a better idea than it is.

Even if everyone was on board with the idea and wanted to do it, it’s not likely to work. The problem comes down to sorting out how things ran under Williams as opposed to how Arians would want to do them and the conflict. The coaches may be able to sort it out, but the players may have more trouble.

Players may have liked things Williams was doing and could resist buying into changes with Arians, especially if Williams is still there in the building. Players that loved Williams may be more inclined to listen to him and ignore Arians. It’s human nature as well as trying to survive in the NFL. During a losing streak, does faith waver with Arians and Williams still in the building? It’s far more prudent to cut the cord and eliminate a potential conflict.