The Cleveland Browns selected offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens to be their new head coach Wednesday.
Chris Mortensen broke the news on Twitter, and it was quickly confirmed by Ian Rapoport.
Freddie Kitchens will be named new Browns head coach later today, per sources.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) January 9, 2019
Source: The #Browns are hiring their own, tapping OC Freddie Kitchens as their new head coach. @mortreport on it first.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2019
This is an important hire because of the impact it’ll have on Baker Mayfield. The rookie quarterback and Kitchens did great things together over the past year.
It’s clear that the head coach had to be able to work well with Mayfield or it was going to be an absolute waste of time and resources all the way around. (RELATED: Baker Mayf
The only two possibilities were Kitchens and his college coach, Lincoln Riley. Once it became clear that Riley wasn’t leaving the Sooners, promoting their offensive coordinator must have seemed like the best option.
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Now, we all wait to see what Kitchens can do with Mayfield once he’s in complete control of the team.
If Mayfield can make some steady strides over the next year or two, the Browns might be competing for playoff position sooner than later. Hell, they were in the race for a spot this year, and they spent the first part of the season consumed by turmoil.
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Things are about to get really interesting in Cleveland, and Baker Mayfield with a new head coach should be prime NFL content.
Can’t wait!