Freddie Kitchens fired by Browns after one season as head coach

Freddie Kitchens will be one-and-done as Cleveland’s head coach.

Kitchens was fired by the Browns on Sunday, the team announced and ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen first reported.

The news is slightly surprising considering as of a few weeks ago, a report said the Browns were planning to keep Kitchens. However, the Browns lost three in a row to end the season and finish 6-10, which changed the minds of the front office. As of Week 17, a report said the front office had begun making calls about a potential replacement for the first-year head coach.

The Browns may have been the biggest disappointment of the NFL season. They entered with playoff expectations, and even talk about being possible Super Bowl contenders. However, they never came close to backing up that kind of talk. They got smashed in their first game, lost four in a row during a difficult part of their schedule, and then finished on a 3-game losing streak, including a defeat to the lowly 2-14 Bengals.

Guys like Baker Mayfield and Jarvis Landry failed to endorse Kitchens, which suggested they did not believe in him. Kitchens seemed overmatched throughout the season. Whether it was poor game-planning, in-game decisions, or managing personalities, he was a failure across the board as a head coach. He had a disconnect with his offensive coordinator and even stoked the rivalry with the Steelers through a poor decision.

The Browns need to bring in someone experienced to help maximize their talent.