The Cleveland Browns are once again on the hunt for a new head coach. Cleveland fired coach Freddie Kitchens following the team’s Week 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. It had been a disappointing season for the Browns, who had playoff aspirations on the back of an expensive offseason that saw the team add star players like wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
With another offseason without a coach in place, Cleveland has turned their attention to the Baltimore Ravens’ coaching staff. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns have requested permission to interview offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
Roman is a solid option for Cleveland, who has a wealth of offensive talent but wasn’t able to translate that into points. The Browns finished the season at 6-10 and ranked 22nd in the league in both points scored and total yards gained while seeing quarterback Baker Mayfield take a giant step backward in his development.
If Cleveland is looking for an offensive mind who has gotten results, they’d have it in Roman. Roman crafted a unique scheme around quarterback Lamar Jackson and a tough rushing attack that broke a 41-year old NFL record for single-season rushing yards and ranks No. 1 in the league in points scored (531).
Last week, Roman told reporters his focus was on the Ravens and the playoffs rather than head coaching vacancies. And with Baltimore holding the top seed in the AFC and currently the favorites to win Super Bowl LIV, it’ll be interesting to see if Roman shows some interest in the Cleveland job and if the Ravens would even allow him to leave for a division rival.
Of course, there’s no guarantee the Browns would even choose Roman for their top spot. They’ve also shown interest in several other candidates, including San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
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