The Cleveland Browns signaled a regime change on Tuesday when reports surfaced that they were parting ways with general manager John Dorsey.
Cleveland immediately announced the firing of head coach Freddie Kitchens following their Week 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and Dorsey is the next domino to fall after a disappointing 6-10 season.
According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, however, Dorsey was not “fired” by the Browns. Rapoport said during “NFL Total Access” that the Browns and Dorsey “mutually parted ways.”
From @NFLTotalAccess: Summing up a wild day for the #Browns. pic.twitter.com/KDwy8WUktZ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 31, 2019
Dorsey was hired in December of 2017 and immediately oversaw one of the greatest single-season improvements in NFL history.
After going 0-16 in 2017, the Browns went 7-8-1 in 2018 thanks in part to shrewd drafting that landed such talents as Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Denzel Ward as well as the acquisition of Pro-Bowl wideout Jarvis Landry.
However, Cleveland failed to build on their 2018 success. Dorsey pulled off one of the biggest trades of the offseason when he acquired Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants, but Kitchens' promotion to the head coaching role did not have the desired effect.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Dorsey refused to take a lesser role in the Browns front office for the 2020 season:
Dorsey, who lost clout after his hire of Freddie Kitchens failed miserably, was asked to take a back seat to the new head of the football department, who will pair with the new head coach. Dorsey, who went 13-18-1 in his two full seasons as GM, would’ve been more of a talent evaluator, such as a Vice President of Player Personnel, a source said.
The Browns entered the 2019 season as a dark horse to win the Super Bowl.
Instead, their search for a new head coach and a new general manager begins in earnest as they look to get back on the winning track in 2020.
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