–The talk leading up to the trade deadline was the Browns would be sellers. Linebacker Jamie Collins and quarterback Tyrod Taylor were rumored to be on the trading block. Both would likely yield draft choices instead of filling the immediate need of wide receiver and offensive line help, but instead general manager John Dorsey chose to stand pat.
Dorsey addressed the players about firing Hue Jackson as head coach and making Gregg Williams interim head coach with this message: “I said, ‘You know, we have a lot of football left here you guys.’ They understand that. As I look at this thing, our job is to support Gregg and his staff right now and put those players in position to succeed.”
The Browns are 2-1-1 at home this season.
–Jackson was 3-36-1 in his time coaching the Browns. He was 1-15 in 2016 and 0-16 last season. He won only one game in the AFC North and was 0-20 on the road.
“I think that Hue was put into a really difficult position his first two years with the talent that we had and we felt like he deserved a chance at a third year,” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said. “Unfortunately, it did not work out the way we all hoped it would.”
The Browns are 22-81-1 with Haslam as owner.
–The Browns might be switching kickers for the second time this season. Greg Joseph missed a field goal and a critical extra point in Pittsburgh. Joseph took over the kicking duties after the second week of the season because his predecessor, Zane Gonzalez, had a field goal blocked in the opener and then missed two field goals and two extra points in New Orleans.
Joseph’s job seems safe for now, but he might be out of lifelines.
BY THE NUMBERS: 6 – Coaches fired by the Browns after losing to Pittsburgh: Romeo Crennel (2008), Eric Mangini (2010), Pat Shurmur (2012), Rob Chudzinski (2013), Mike Pettine (2015) and Hue Jackson (2018).
