Cleveland Browns: 5 replacements for Freddie Kitchens

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 29: Head coach Freddie Kitchens of the Cleveland Browns talks to Baker Mayfield on the sidelines during the first quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Byron Leftwich

On paper, this one may seem a little strange. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended their season with the same record as the Browns, mostly due to the incompetency of Jameis Winston. They literally lost their last game of the season because Winston threw a pick-six in overtime. Byron Leftwich is the offensive coordinator of the Bucs, but despite Winston’s struggles, he’s getting serious buzz as a head coaching candidate.

Take a closer look at that Bucs offense. It has similar talent than the Browns, does it not? Now, look at what Leftwich did with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Godwin had a career year with over 1,300 yards, and Evans still ranks seventh in the league in yards despite missing the last three and a half weeks.

Only the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers scored more points than the Bucs this season. That’s an insane statistic. To Leftwich’s credit, he trust Jameis to eventually figure it out, which is the kind of patience Baker Mayfield will need at times. Sometimes, offensive minds just need to let their stars be stars.

If you hire Leftwich, you need to bring a really good defensive mind to pair with him. There are a lot of really good positional coaches that Dorsey should consider promoting to defensive coordinator.

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