Browns confirm hiring of new coaches, including Freddie Kitchens as RB coach

Last week, we heard that the Cleveland Browns were set to hire Amos Jones as their new special teams coordinator. Then on Monday, we learned that Todd Haley would be the Browns’ new offensive coordinator. Wednesday morning, the team officially announced both hires, and also announced that Freddie Kitchens has been hired under the title of “running backs/associate head coach.”

The Hiring of Todd Haley

It’s been confirmed that Hue Jackson will turn playcalling duties over to Haley. Here is what Jackson said about Haley in today’s announcement:

“We’re thrilled to bring Todd Haley in as our offensive coordinator. I’ve known Todd for a very long time and have respected and admired the job he’s done as a play-caller in this league. He’s a coordinator that has been successful in every place he’s been. He has been a guy that has adjusted his offense to successfully complement and taken advantage of the skillset of his personnel. I’ve witnessed firsthand how prolific his offenses have been in the AFC North over the last six seasons. As I reflected after the season and contemplated adding an offensive coordinator to the staff, my first thought was obviously improvement. If I was going to turn over the play calling duties to someone else, it had to be to someone that was experienced and had a long history of success in this league. We were going to be patient about it because there is always a lot of movement in the early part of the offseason. When Todd became available, I jumped at the opportunity to meet with him. Once we sat down and talked, it became quickly evident that Todd would be a great fit.

And here is what Haley said upon joining the Browns:

“This is a great opportunity. The Browns have a great history, great fans and deserve to have some fun and experience some winning. I want to help be part of that process. There is obviously a lot of work to do in order to get there, but I’ve always been excited about facing a challenge. There is no better feeling than when you can be a part of turning an organization around. Hue and I have had some good battles in competing against each other as coordinators and even as a head coach. We know each other well and I have a great deal of respect for him. He’s so competitive and winning is the only thing that’s important to him. You want to work with a coach like that. Hue and I share a lot of similar beliefs on how to be successful on offense. We have to score points, protect the ball, protect the quarterback and develop players. It’s not too complicated, but at the same time, it is a great challenge. We are really looking forward to getting to work on it.”

The Hiring of Freddie Kitchens

Kitchens’ pro coaching career began in 2006, when he was named the tight ends coach for the Dallas Cowboys. He assumed that same role for the Arizona Cardinals from 2007-2012, and then from 2013-2016, he became their quarterbacks coach. Only last year was he a running backs coach for the first time. Here is what Jackson said about Kitchen joining the staff:

“Adding Freddie Kitchens to our staff as running backs coach and associate head coach is also very important. First off, Freddie is a very good coach that has a bright future in this league. He has coached multiple positions and gotten a lot out of his players. Additionally, we’re going to be installing a lot of new concepts and elements to our offense. It’s important to have coaches on your staff that will know and understand the new system. Freddie has a history with Todd and that will make the process of installing the new elements of the offense much more efficient. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do this offseason. I’m excited about the additions we’ve made to our coaching staff, and I’m especially excited to work with Todd to put together a productive Cleveland Browns offensive system that will get us winning quickly.”

When Jackson speaks of the connection between Kitchens and Haley, that would be from 2007-2008, when Haley was the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator. Here is what Kitchens said about joining the staff:

“I am so excited to be joining an historic franchise such as the Browns that has demonstrated a willingness and desire to compete for championships. I look forward to the opportunity to work with Hue, John and the whole organization, while we work together to achieve the desired success.”

The Hiring of Amos Jones

Lastly, here is what Jackson said about Jones coming in to replace Chris Tabor as special teams coordinator:

“Amos Jones is an experienced special teams coordinator that we think will do an outstanding job leading and improving our unit. We always talk about how the three phases must complement each other in order for team success to come. Amos has worked under really good coaches throughout his career and has helped develop some really good core special teamers. I’ve said this already this offseason, we have to get better in every area to become the type of team our fans deserve. Amos is going to be a part of that.”

And here is Jones’ commentary upon being hired:

“I’m really excited about joining the Browns. I got to know Hue from coaching against him in the AFC North and have always admired his passion and knowledge of football. I miss coaching in the AFC North, so getting back to this division is going to be very exciting for me. It’s obviously a highly competitive division where the margin for error is small, so you have to be extremely sound as a special teams unit. I think I have a pretty good feel for the Cleveland fans and look at this as a great opportunity to come in and help flip the organization. Working with John Dorsey is something I also look forward to as a special teams coach. His track record speaks for itself as a guy that knows how to put talent on a football team. As a special teams coach, it’s comforting to know the guy making those decisions about who is on your football team once had 35 special teams tackles in a season. I can’t wait to get to Cleveland to start working with the staff to help create a unit on special teams that will make a difference.”