Cleveland Browns: 5 Early standouts at training camp

2. Freddie Kitchens, Head coach

For good reason, the bulk of training camp profiles and explorations focus on the players trying to prove themselves heading into a new season. However, the Cleveland Browns are in the unique situation where they also have another figure that has to prove himself: new head coach Freddie Kitchens.

Obviously there is reason to believe that Kitchens is the right man for the job without having seen him training camp. Though he was a running backs coach this time last season, Kitchens took over the offense at midseason and the change in that group was drastic. They were one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL from the time he took over.

Yet, going from running backs coach to head coach in the mere span of a year is a tremendous jump. However, all signs point to the fact that Kitchens is ready for it all. Every report out of Berea talks about the respect that Kitchens both commands and gets from his players throughout every practice and the way that things are operating. Cleveland.com even listed him as the chief winner of training camp early on.

What makes Kitchens stand out even more, though, is the stark contrast of these reports to those that came about with Hue Jackson. More or less, it always felt like Jackson was haplessly running a circus throughout his tenure in Cleveland. That feeling is no longer presence with the new head coach, which is a hugely positive sign for the outlook of the Browns.