Cleveland Browns Cast Wide Net In Search For Next Head Coach

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have opened the search for their next head coach. The team has reportedly scheduled interviews with interim head coach Gregg Williams, former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, and Browns offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens.

The Browns enjoyed a resurgent 2018 season, falling just one game short of a winning season and finishing the year 7-8-1. Head coach Hue Jackson was fired midway through the season and the team went 5-3 over the last eight weeks. Williams served as head coach during the latter half of the year.

Browns General Manager John Dorsey has reportedly already interviewed Williams. It's unclear if the defensive-minded Williams would appeal to Dorsey, despite the on-field success of the season.

Additional interviews with other candidates will be held this week and beyond. Dorsey has said he wants his next full-time head coach to bring a long-term vision to the team.

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Mike McCarthy is one of the oft-mentioned names connected to the Browns coaching vacancy. The head coach was axed in Green Bay after the Packers struggled throughout the season.

Dorsey had success plucking a once-successful head coach and giving him a fresh start in Kansas City (Andy Reid), so there's reason to think he wouldn't be scared of someone who endured recent struggles. There are also multiple reasons why a McCarthy hiring may appeal to the Browns GM.

For one, McCarthy has a track record of success. He's won a Super Bowl. He has a 125-77 career record in the regular season, and a 10-8 record in the playoffs, according to Pro Football Reference.

He's also an offensive-minded coach that could tutor budding star quarterback Baker Mayfield. But McCarthy has plenty of warts on his resume, too.

Despite having one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, Aaron Rogers, McCarthy consistently struggled to win big games. During his 13-year stint in Green Bay he had three losing seasons and was accused of hindering Rogers and letting his game planning grow stagnant.

McCarthy was much maligned for his inability to adjust to the contemporary NFL. Doug Farrar had this to say about McCarthy's dismissal:

"McCarthy's Achilles heel as a head coach and an offensive play-designer was his rigid inflexibility and inability to design passing concepts that would regularly beat even the most rudimentary of defenses. Add in his frequent in-game strategic gaffes this season, and it was clear that Murphy had to make this move."

Besides Kitchens, several coordinators and former head coaches are reportedly in-line for a Cleveland interview, including: former Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and New England Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores, according to ESPN.

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