As Freddie Kitchens begins his reign as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, the man he's replacing has found his next gig.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the New York Jets are finalizing a deal to hire Gregg Williams as the defensive coordinator on new head coach Adam Gase's staff. The 60-year-old Williams spent the previous two seasons serving as the defensive coordinator for the Browns, including an eight-game stint as the team's interim head coach to close the 2018 season.
After amassing a 5-3 record in his time as interim coach, Williams received an interview for the Browns' full-time opening two days after the team's Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Ultimately, however, Cleveland general manager John Dorsey and the team's search committee settled on Kitchens, who had served as the interim offensive coordinator under Williams.
"I think Gregg is a heck of a coach," Dorsey said on Monday when asked about Williams' candidacy. "What we were looking for is the future of the organization moving forward. But again, the committee began to have healthy discussions – a lot of different types of discussions. But at the end of the day, all we constantly came back on – ‘what is the future good of the organization?’ And that is what we decided. We thought Freddie was the best possible fit for this organization moving forward.”
In two seasons as the Browns defensive coordinator, Williams led units that ranked 11th and 15th, respectively, in yards per play and 31st and 21st in scoring. New York will mark his eighth defensive coordinator job following his three-year stint as Buffalo Bills head coach from 2001-03.
On Monday, the Browns announced that former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks will serve as Kitchens' defensive coordinator.
