Freddie Kitchens, the New York Giants’ first-year tight ends coach, may always be remembered as the head coach of a Cleveland Browns team that vastly underachieved in 2019, a performance that he paid for with his job.
That is unfortunate for this lifelong steward of the game who began his football journey as the starting quarterback of the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 1990s (winning three bowl games) before heading into the coaching ranks.
It is there where Kitchens has continued his success.
From 1999 through 2005, Kitchens coached offense at LSU, North Texas and Mississippi State before being hired by Bill Parcells in 2006 to run the Dallas Cowboys’ tight ends. From there, he moved on to Arizona, where he held various positions over an 11-year run with the Cardinals. In 2018, he joined Hue Jackson’s staff in Cleveland and became the offensive coordinator when Todd Haley and Jackson were fired midway through the year. In 2019, Kitchens was named the head coach. He was fired after the Browns slogged through a 6-10 campaign.
Kitchens joins his old friend, Joe Judge, who coached on the same staff as Kitchens at Mississippi State. Kitchens is one of three former head coaches on Judge’s staff who will undoubtedly be sounding boards for the first year head coach.
“I gained a lot of experience last year. I’m really fortunate to have gotten that experience,” Kitchens told reporters this week. “I’m looking forward to bringing everything, not just last year, but my previous years of coaching. Anything Joe needs or any questions he asks, all I can give him is my experience from that. All of us have had experiences along the way, some good, some bad. Joe’s done a great job surrounding himself with people that he trusts, that he can ask questions to, and will give him honest answers.”
Kitchens’ failure in Cleveland could certainly be to the Giants’ advantage. The Browns were loaded with talent last year, including two former Giants (Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon) but failed to gel as a team, which Kitchens was forced to fall on his sword over.
The bare facts were the hubris permeated the culture. The sum of the parts proved to be greater than the whole. Lesson learned: football is still a team game.
Kitchens will be charged with just one unit now, tight ends. He has vast experience handling that group and the Giants should benefit. With a group that will consist mainly of Evan Engram, Kaden Smith and Levine Toilolo (and possible a fourth), Kitchens’ main job will be to coach former first-round pick Engram to that ‘breakout’ season Giant fans have been waiting for.
“He’s a team-oriented guy,” Kitchens said. “He’s been working his tail off to get better each and every day, and he’s done a good job of just staying in the moment, like we all should be doing. Just try to get a little better each day and see where you’re at in a couple of weeks.”
Of course, health is going to play a major role in Engram’s future. Thus far, he’s been prone to injury and hasn’t been able to get any traction in his career. Kitchens believes Engram can get there but must stick to the basics of football fundamentals for the time being.
“I think Evan is in the mindset that he should be in, and that’s just getting better today,” he said. “We’re trying to stay in the moment here with every position, with every player, with every coach, and keep our head down and just work to get better each and every day. Evan has done a good job up to this point in doing that. He did a hell of a job this summer in rehabbing and getting back to where he’s at right now, and just kind of taking it day to day and getting better with his releases, his hand placement, with everything.
“Every aspect of Evan’s game, we want to try to get better at each and every day. Evan’s done an unbelievable job in staying focused and concentrating on, even more specific to every day, just every rep. He’s done a good job and we’re just going to stay in the moment.”
The Giants have an interesting player in camp in 6-foot-7 Canadian project Rysen John. Although John is a long-shot to make the roster this season, Kitchens likes the work ethic he’s seen from him.
“Rysen is the same as with our whole group,” said Kitchens. “He’s trying to get better each and every day. Everyone has different starting spots, but I think Rysen has done an excellent job of coming to work every day and putting his hand down and continuing to work. It all started back in March when we started Zoom calls and stuff. He’s done a great job of learning the system, learning the offense, and continuing to enable himself to give himself the best chance to succeed in every play he takes. He’s done a good job of just working.”
[lawrence-related id=654194,654188,654190]