The Cleveland Browns have hired former offensive coordinator
Rob Chudzinski to be their next head coach, reports Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.
Rob Chudzinski will be the sixth coach since the franchise re-boot in 1999, the Browns announced.
Chudzinski had been the Carolina Panthers offensive
coordinator for the past two seasons, and he carried the same position with the
Browns during the 2007-08 seasons.
It’s an interesting hire considering the Panthers weren’t
exactly lighting the world on fire offensively under Chudzinski, and the Browns
were the first team to interview him.
Still, Rosenthal notes that Chudzinski does have some clout
in the NFL. The Panthers were fifth in points and seventh in yards gained in
2011. During his time with the Browns, he helped turn Derek Anderson and
Braylon Edwards into Pro Bowl-caliber players.
Beyond Chudzinski, the Browns had also targeted college
coaches Chip Kelly and Bill O’Brian as well as a few former NFL coaches,
including Ken Whisenhunt.
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