The Cleveland Browns did not get the second-year jump from their franchise quarterback, Baker Mayfield, that they were anticipating last season. This more than anything else explains why they went 6-10, taking a step back from the 7-8-1 record that they had the year before, their best in a decade.
That’s not the only reason that Freddie Kitchens got canned as head coach after only one season, however. In spite of his apparent incompetence in certain phases of the job, he remained blustery and defiant through it all, ironically often mirroring the stubbornness of Hue Jackson, his predecessor, who once made Kitchens himself the subject of his arrogance on a Hard Knocks episode.