The Cleveland Browns officially named Freddie Kitchens as the team’s new head coach on Saturday.
Kitchens, 44, becomes the 17th full-time head coach in franchise history. He replaces Hue Jackson, who was fired in October after compiling a 3-36-1 record in two-plus seasons.
Kitchens was featured in a short video clip on Twitter announcing the deal.
After parting ways with Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley in October, the Browns promoted Kitchens from running backs coach to offensive coordinator and named defensive coordinator Gregg Williams as interim head coach. Williams has been relieved of his duties and is no longer with the team.
His departure is one of several from the Browns’ previous coaching staff. Per multiple reports, Cleveland released several other coaches, including special teams coordinator Amos Jones, position coaches Ken Zampese (QBs), Bob Wylie (OL), Blake Williams (LBs) and Greg Seamon (TEs), and special teams assistant Josh Cribbs, a former Pro Bowl player for the Browns.
Cleveland also is working to hire former Arizona Cardinals coach Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Browns also will have a different organizational structure, according to multiple reports. Kitchens will report to general manager John Dorsey rather than owner Jimmy Haslam, a departure from the structure for previous coaches.
The team’s confidence in Kitchens was boosted by the play of rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield under his watch. In eight games with Kitchens as OC, Mayfield threw for 2,254 yards, 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions and was sacked just five times.
A quarterback at Alabama from 1993-97, Kitchens coached in the college ranks from 1999-2005 as an assistant at Glenville State, LSU, North Texas and Mississippi State.
He broke into the NFL as tight ends coach with the Dallas Cowboys in 2006, and held the same role with the Arizona Cardinals from 2007-12. He served as Arizona’s quarterbacks coach from 2013-16 and as the Cardinals’ running backs coach in 2017.
—Field Level Media