Could next Browns coach come from Andy Reid’s Chiefs staff?
Monday was a transitional day for the Cleveland Browns, who will play host to the Chiefs on Sunday with a new head coach. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has replaced Hue Jackson on an interim basis.
Who are the top candidates to fill the job on a permanent basis? This will be the first head coaching hire for general manager John Dorsey, formerly of the Chiefs, and he knows well his former staff.
The list of prospective candidates authored by Cleveland.com, includes a pair of Chiefs, special teams coach Dave Toub and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
Toub, also the Chiefs assistant head coach, has been mentioned with other jobs in recent years and is considered among the NFL’s best special teams coordinators. Bieniemy is in his first year leading one of the NFL’s most successful offenses.
Big 12 coaches also are mentioned. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley was Baker Mayfield’s college coach last season when Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy.
Iowa State’s Matt Campbell spent his coaching career in Ohio, including four years as Toledo’s head coach, before moving to Ames. He was the Big 12 coach of the year in 2017 and has beaten three teams ranked in the top 10 in the past two seasons.
Another possible candidate is Rams quarterback coach Zac Taylor, who played at Butler Community College and Nebraska. He led the Cornhuskers to the Big 12 title game in 2006.
The details
Chiefs at Browns
When: Sunday, noon (central)
TV/Radio: CBS (Ch. 5), KCFX (101.1 FM)
Line: Chiefs by 8.5
No strangers
The college path of the quarterbacks is only one of the many areas where the teams intersect.
At Texas Tech, Patrick Mahomes succeeded Mayfield, who transferred after one year to Oklahoma, and both went on to tremendous college careers.
Chiefs guard Cam Erving was a Browns’ first round draft pick in 2015. He was traded to the Chiefs last season. When he got injured in 2016, Erving was replaced by Austin Reiter, who started at center for the Chiefs last weekend.
Then there is right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who spent his first four seasons in Cleveland.
Browns tight end Orson Charles was with the Chiefs last season. Assistant coach Al Saunders was the Chiefs offensive coordinator from 2001-2005.
The biggest common denominator is Dorsey, who arrived with Reid for the 2013 and helped built the Chiefs organization into one of the NFL’s most consistent winners.
Dorsey was fired in June, 2017, in a surprising decision. Chiefs owner and CEO Clark Hunt said he’s been in touch with Dorsey since that day.
“I saw him a number of times at the league meetings this psring,” Hunt said Monday. “And we had a number of great conversations. John and I are still friends.”
First-quarter woes
If scoring trends continue, the Chiefs will lead after one quarter 9.4 to 1.8. The teams rank first in last in the NFL in first-quarter scoring. The Browns are looking for their first touchdown in the first quarter this season.
But the Browns top the NFL in turnover margin at plus 11. They’ve come up with 22 takeaways, including a league best 12 interceptions, while giving it away 11 times. The Chiefs are tied for seventh at plus five.