Although the Cleveland Browns fired executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown on Thursday, the franchise won't be completely starting over in 2018. In a statement announcing the dismissal of Brown, owner Jimmy Haslam announced that head coach Hue Jackson would be back for the 2018 campaign.
In a statement, Haslam said:
“We have great appreciation and gratitude for Sashi’s commitment and leadership to our organization but believe transitioning to someone with strong experience and success in drafting and building consistently winning football teams is critical to the future of the Cleveland Browns. Today we informed Sashi that we were going in a new direction. The 2018 draft and offseason is pivotal for our franchise, we need to ensure that we maximize our opportunity for success; with our picks, free agency and building our roster. Hue Jackson will remain our coach and will return for the 2018 season but we feel it is necessary to take significant steps to strengthen our personnel department. We have begun the process of having productive conversations regarding leadership of our football operations and will provide further updates when appropriate. We thank Sashi for all his hard work and dedication to the Cleveland Browns.”
In two seasons as the head coach of the Browns, Jackson has amassed a 1-27 record. Over the course of the Browns' ongoing 0-12 campaign, the former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator has bemoaned the level of talent on his roster, stating on multiple occasions that his roster had to play perfectly in order to win.
Over the course of their two years together, Jackson and Brown have reportedly butted heads, most notably on the team's failed attempt to land Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron at the trade deadline. On Sunday, Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot reported Jackson liked Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz ahead of the 2016 NFL Draft, but the Browns wound up trading the pick used to select him.
Such roster squabbles, however, no longer appear to be an issue in Berea -- at least not for now. Jackson will be back in 2018 and while he may not have any wins yet this season on the field, he appears to have earned a victory off of it.
