The Cleveland Browns decided to gut their coaching staff following Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the development of their rookie quarterback likely played a role in the decision.
Hue Jackson made it clear that he and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were not on the same page when the head coach criticized the team’s offensive approach after a tough loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the disagreements between Jackson and Haley began in the summer and continued all season.
More recently, sources told Graziano that Jackson and Haley clashed over the way Baker Mayfield should be utilized. Jackson wanted to adjust the offense to cater more to the up-tempo style Mayfield played in college at Oklahoma, while Haley felt the team did not have the appropriate personnel for that and should stick with a more conservative approach.
It’s interesting that Jackson was the one who wanted to let Mayfield play more like he did in college, as Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Monday that Mayfield was not sad to see Jackson fired.
.@RapSheet on NFL Network just now: "From what I hear, Baker Mayfield is not going to exactly miss Hue Jackson" #Browns
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) October 29, 2018
Of course, that doesn’t mean Mayfield wanted Haley to stick around, either. Perhaps he wants a fresh start with a new coaching staff, and it’s interesting to note that his college coach is considered one of the top candidates for the Browns job.
Mayfield has experienced plenty of growing pains in his first NFL season, but he hasn’t been terrible. He’s thrown four touchdowns and just one interception over the past two games. Browns general manager John Dorsey is the one who chose to draft Mayfield No. 1 overall, and he was not with the Browns when they hired Jackson. Dorsey will now search for a coach he believes can help mold Mayfield into a franchise cornerstone.
