Browns Fire Hue Jackson and Todd Haley, Citing Internal Clashing

By then, reports had surfaced in various news media outlets that there was tension between Jackson and Haley. The team has averaged only 16.7 points a game since scoring 42 in a loss to Oakland in Week 4. Making matters worse, the rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield took a public stance that seemed to support Haley, saying, “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” when it was suggested that Jackson, a former offensive coordinator, take over the offense.

Haslam and his team’s general manager, John Dorsey, cited it directly as the reason behind the change.

“I think the message today is we’re not going to put up with internal discord,” Haslam said. “That we want people who are collaborative and work together.”

Somehow, the person who emerged from the power struggle between the head coach and the offensive coordinator was Williams, the defensive coordinator. He has had plenty of success in his career, and Cleveland’s defense has often looked strong, but Williams is primarily known for his role in what came to be known as Bountygate; when he was New Orleans’ defensive coordinator, Saints players were incentivized to intentionally injure opponents, which earned him a suspension that lasted nearly a year.

Williams will carry an interim title, but Dorsey said they would not be looking to hire a new coach until after the season. Williams will continue to run the defense, while Freddie Kitchens, who had previously been the team’s running backs coach and associate head coach, will run the offense. Both will be candidates for permanent roles once the off-season begins.

Both Haslam and Dorsey cited Williams’s head coaching experience — he led the Buffalo Bills from 2001 through 2003, going 17-31 — as a major reason for his promotion, while also citing his success as a defensive coordinator. Williams has been the coordinator for a top-ten defense six times.

“Gregg was the only person we talked to,” Haslam said. “Gregg’s a veteran defensive coordinator, been around the league a long time, been a head coach himself, so he was the only person we talked to.”