Freddie Kitchens is interviewing for the Cleveland Browns vacant head coaching position and the team would be wise to hire him.
The Cleveland Browns are set to interview offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens for the open head coaching position. Kitchens was thrust into a fairly undesirable situation and succeeded. Taking over a stagnant offense and transforming it into something that the Browns have been seeking for a long time.
Kitchens was able to get the most out of Baker Mayfield, a task that the former duo of Todd Haley and Hue Jackson failed to do. Mayfield averaged 281.8 passing yards per game in the Kitchens offense. Additionally 19 of Mayfield’s rookie record 27 touchdown passes came during this span. Mayfield completed 180 of 263 passes for a completion percentage of 68.4. For reference Mayfield only threw for 245.2 yards per game and completed 58.2 percent of his passes before Kitchens took over play calling duties. Mayfield’s touchdown to interception ratio was 8-5 during this span compared to 19-9 afterwards.
One of the most important factors in a quarterback-head coach relationship is mutual trust. Kitchens and Mayfield trust each other. Mayfield trusts Kitchens to put him in a good situation offensively and Kitchens trusts Mayfield to make a play. This relationship appears to be in a good place and should continue moving forward.
The case for Freddie Kitchens goes beyond just Baker Mayfield. The Browns as a whole were significantly better.
The Cleveland Browns went 5-3 after the coaching change. This success came from the offense’s surge in production. Cleveland averaged 23.8 points per game under Kitchens compared to 21.1 with the previous regime. However the one shootout game against Oakland was the only reason the average is as high as it is. Removing the lone offensive explosion in Oakland, the Browns scoring average was three points lower at only 18.1. The five point difference between what we know was the true scoring average of the Browns under the former coaching staff and the offense under Kitchens is quite impressive.
Freddie Kitchens’ NFL Experience
Freddie Kitchens has been in the NFL since 2007 when he broke in as a tight ends coach with the Arizona Cardinals. Since then Kitchens has spent time as a quarterbacks coach, running backs coach and most recently offensive coordinator/associate head coach. NFL teams are always looking for the latest breakout candidate, the next “Sean McVay”. It is quite possible that the Browns have already found their Sean McVay in Freddie Kitchens. Kitchens may not be as highly touted as McVay, but the success in his limited time with an offense many thought was broken speaks for itself.
The worst thing the Cleveland Browns could do is break up an already existing successful partnership between play caller and quarterback. This is a match the franchise has been looking for since returning in 1999. Freddie Kitchens can be the head coach to lead the Cleveland Browns to the successful future that appears to be on the horizon. The team appears to have bought into his offense and leadership, now it is time for the front office to do the same.
