Another coach has been let go in Cleveland, this time it’s not Tyronn Lue, its Cleveland Browns Coach Hue Jackson. According to reports from ESPN, Jackson and the Browns are parting ways.
The move came on Monday, one day after Cleveland’s embarrassing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a game in which Cleveland’s putrid offense never got anything going against what’s been a vulnerable Steelers defense this season.
That’s been a common occurrence during Jackson’s tenure in Cleveland, as his offenses have typically struggled mightily to get anything going against even some of the worst defenses.
It’s been a rough go of it for the former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator, who has just three wins in two and a half seasons with the Browns. That’s not going to cut it anywhere, but the good news is Jackson should catch on with another team as an assistant or consultant. Jackson is still a great offensive mind who could be a valuable addition to whichever team gets him.
Might that mean another reunion with the Bengals? You know Mike Brown and Marvin Lewis would love to find a spot for him here.
Jackson’s first stint in Cincy was from 2004-06 when he was the wide receivers coach for three seasons. Under Jackson’s watch, Chad Johnson and T. J. Houshmandzadeh became one of the most prolific wide-receiving tandems in the NFL and helped the Bengals win their first division title and playoff berth in over a decade.
In 2005, the Johnson-Houshmandzadeh tandem combined to total 175 catches for 2,388 yards. In 2006, Johnson (1,369 yards) and Houshmandzadeh (1,081 yards) became the first pair of Bengals to reach the 1,000–yard receiving mark in a single season. In each of Jackson’s three years in Cincinnati, Johnson was named to the Pro Bowl was slowly became one of the game’s best wideouts.
Jackson would then become the Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator in 2007, but that lasted only one season after Bobby Petrino quit, leading to a complete staff shakeup. That left Jackson to take the quarterbacks coach job with the Ravens in 2008. He would eventually become the Raiders offensive coordinator in 2010 before becoming their head coach in 2011.
However, Jackson took over a franchise that was in a rebuild and going through significant changes from the top down. That helped lead to Jackson being fired after an 8-8 season that was just the second non-losing season since 2002.
After Jackson was fired, he re-joined the Bengals in 2012 and was always looked at as the next man in line for the offensive coordinator job, which Jay Gruden held. He eventually became the head coach of Washington in 2014.
Jackson would be promoted to offensive coordinator and help the Bengals make back-to-back playoff trips, including a 2015 season that saw the Bengals offense become one of the NFL’s best until Andy Dalton was hurt.
