Browns fire Jackson, OC Haley
BEREA, Ohio — Hue Jackson’s failed, flawed tenure with the Cleveland Browns is finally over.
The team fired its embattled coach on Monday, ending a run of futility nearly unmatched in NFL history. Jackson, who went 3-36-1 in two-plus seasons, was dismissed Monday by general manager John Dorsey with the backing of owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam.
The Browns also fired offensive coordinator Todd Haley and made defensive coordinator Gregg Williams their interim coach. Haley was in his first season on Jackson’s staff after spending the previous six in Pittsburgh.
Jimmy Haslam intimated the firings were prompted by an irreparable divide between Jackson and Haley, who squabbled behind the scenes and recently took their power struggle public.
“Hopefully we made a big step today,” Haslam said at a news conference with Dorsey. “It’s very troubling. It’s hard to win in the NFL; if anybody knows that, it’s us. And I think the message today is we’re not going to put up with internal discord, that we want people who are collaborative and work together.” BUCCANEERS: Jameis Winston’s inability to cut down on turnovers has cost him his starting job with Tampa Bay.
Without speculating on what the move means for the young quarterback’s future with the team, coach Dirk Koetter said veteran backup Ryan Fitzpatrick will lead the NFL’s No. 1 ranked offense against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Winston, 24, was benched after throwing four interceptions during last Sunday’s 37-34 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“We’re going to start Fitz at quarterback this week. That’s what we feel we need to do this week to give ourselves the best chance,” Koetter said, adding Monday’s decision to turn to the 35-year-old Fitzpatrick is “just for right now.”
Winston, who entered the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft, has 11 turnovers — 10 interceptions and one fumble — in 3½ games since returning from serving a suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Fitzpatrick led three fourth-quarter scoring drives to erase an 18-point deficit at Cincinnati, but left Andy Dalton a little more than a minute to lead the Bengals down the field for a game-winning field goal as time expired.
COWBOYS: Dallas fired offensive line coach Paul Alexander less than halfway into his first season with the team, marking the first time head coach Jason Garrett has made an in-season change to his coaching staff.
Alexander’s dismissal was announced Monday after the Cowboys (3-4) had their bye over the weekend. The offensive line has played below expectations, with quarterback Dak Prescott having already been sacked 23 times this season.
“While approaching the midpoint of the season, and going through an overall evaluation of our entire operation during the bye week, we felt that this move would serve the best interests of our team moving forward,” Garrett, the Cowboys full-time head coach since 2011, said in a statement.
Former Cowboys offensive lineman Marc Colombo, who had served as assistant offensive line coach since 2016, was promoted to take over as offensive line coach. The team also said former offensive line coach Hudson Houck was returning to work with Colombo and the offensive staff in an advisory role.
BRONCOS: Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas is bracing for a trade after Denver slipped to 3-5 midway through his ninth NFL season.
Thomas, the Broncos’ longest-tenured player, put the odds at “50-50” that he’ll be summoned into general manager John Elway’s office by the trade deadline Tuesday afternoon to learn whose jersey he’ll be wearing next.
The Patriots and Eagles, who met in the Super Bowl nine months ago, are both thin at receiver and might be willing to take on Thomas, who has a 2019 salary cap figure of $15.53 million.
Thomas is tied for the team lead with three touchdown catches. But his high salary and the emergence of rookie Courtland Sutton as a big-play threat could spell an end to Thomas’ time in Denver.