The Cleveland Browns fired head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley, the team announced Monday.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will serve as interim head coach and Freddie Kitchens as the offensive coordinator. Kitchens was the running backs coach for the Browns (2-5-1), who will host the Kansas City Chiefs (7-1) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET).
“We greatly appreciate Hue’s commitment to the Cleveland Browns organization over the last two and a half years,” a statement from Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam read. “We understand how critical this time period is in the development of our football team, individually and collectively, and believed it was in the organization’s best interest to make the move at this time, in order to maximize our opportunities the rest of this season. We certainly only wish Hue, Michelle, and his family the best moving forward.”
The Haslams as well as general manager John Dorsey met with Jackson on Monday morning, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.
Haley was hired after the Pittsburgh Steelers did not pick up his contract after last season.
Reports circulated that there was a fractured relationship between Jackson and Haley on Sunday prior to the team recording 237 yards of total offense in a 33-18 setback to the Steelers. The loss was Cleveland’s third in a row and fourth in five outings.
During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Jimmy Haslam seemed to confirm the power struggle between Jackson and Haley.
“We did what we thought was best for the organization. I think we put the organization in a better place today than it was yesterday,” Haslam said. “We’re not going to put up with internal discord.”
Dorsey offered a similar view.
“What we’re trying to do is create the best environment moving forward, not only for the players but for the coaching staff,” Dorsey said.
Haslam defended the decision to bring Jackson back this season, when Sashi Brown was fired as general manager.
“Hue was put in a pretty difficult situation his first two years with the talent we had,” Haslam said. “We thought he deserved another chance and unfortunately it didn’t work out the way we hoped it would.”
Jackson has posted a 3-36-1 mark in parts of three seasons at the helm of the Browns. Overall, the 53-year-old owns an 11-44-1 career record as a head coach after a promising 8-8 stretch with the Oakland Raiders in 2011.
The Browns went 1-15 in 2016 and became just the second team in NFL history to finish 0-16 the following year.
With the 51-year-old Haley at the helm, Cleveland is ranked 24th in total offense (342.4 yards per game) and points scored (21.1) this season.
Williams, who served as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills (2001-03), is perhaps best known for being suspended by the NFL for a year in 2012 after admitting to his role in the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal.
Kitchens joined the Browns in January after spending the past 11 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Browns showed a bit of improvement this season under the guidance of Jackson, tying the Steelers in the opener before defeating the New York Jets in Week 3 and Baltimore Ravens in Week 5.
Cleveland made several improvements to the roster this offseason, notably selecting former Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield with the top overall pick and cornerback Denzel Ward just three slots later.
Wide receiver Jarvis Landry and defensive back Damarious Randall were added to provide an upgrade in depth at those positions for the Browns, who are bidding to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
The 2010 season is the last time the Browns finished above last place in the AFC North, albeit with a 5-11 mark.
–WR Jarvis Landry was the Browns’ leading receiver Sunday, but he had just 39 receiving yards. He had more than 100 receiving yards in two of the Browns’ first three games.
–WR Antonio Callaway had a season-high five receptions on Sunday, but he had just 36 receiving yards.
–LB Jamie Collins had 11 combined tackles on Sunday, the second time this season he has had double-digit tackles.