Freddie Kitchens
Charles Frederick Kitchens Jr. (born November 29, 1974) is an American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns and an assistant coach for the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Mississippi State Bulldogs, North Texas Mean Green (University of North Texas), LSU Tigers and Glenville State College Pioneers. He is known for serving as head coach during the Browns' disappointing 2019 season after many analysts pegged the team to make the playoffs. After going 6-10, the Browns fired Kitchens after one season. Playing career. Freddie Kitchens was a quarterback for the  Alabama Crimson Tide from 1993 to 1998, during which time he threw for 4,668 passing yards and 30 touchdowns. In his three seasons as a starter, Alabama won the 1995 Citrus Bowl, and the 1997 Outback Bowl. At the time of his departure, he ranked third in the school's history in career passing attempts, fourth in career passing yards, and fifth in career completions. During his time at Alabama, Kitchens was given the nickname Thick by offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Coaching career. Dallas Cowboys. Following his college coaching career, he served as an assistant coach for several college teams , before joining the Dallas Cowboys staff as tight ends coach in 2006 under Bill Parcells. Arizona Cardinals. Kitchens then worked on the Arizona Cardinals staff for 11 years, from 2007 to 2017. In 2008, Kitchens' 2nd year with the team, the Cardinals appeared in Super Bowl XLIII, their first Super Bowl in franchise history but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-23. He coached multiple positions, including tight ends, quarterbacks, and running backs. Cleveland Browns. 2018. In 2018, Kitchens was hired as running backs coach for the Cleveland Browns. On October 29, after week 8 of the season, the Browns  fired head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Gregg Williams was named interim head coach, and Kitchens was promoted to offensive coordinator. The Browns finished the season with a 5–3 record, after a 2–5–1 start under Jackson. Kitchens was credited for the improvement of the Browns offense and was also acknowledged for helping Baker Mayfield have a successful rookie season. Mayfield was the runner-up for NFL rookie of the year. 2019. On January 12, 2019, Kitchens was promoted to the head coaching position by the Cleveland Browns. He was the 17th head coach in Browns history, and  the ninth since the franchise's reactivation in 1999. On September 8, 2019, the Browns lost to the Tennessee Titans by a score of 43–13 in Kitchens' head coaching debut. The loss marked the 15th consecutive week one without a win for the Browns. Kitchens was fired a few hours after the final game of the season, a 33-23 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns finished the season with a disappointing 6-10 record. New York Giants. On January 27, 2020, the New York Giants hired Kitchens as their tight ends coach. His hiring was strongly supported by  newly hired Giants head coach Joe Judge, who had worked with Kitchens at Mississippi State. The two are reportedly good friends. When Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the Giants' Monday night game against the Cleveland Browns, Kitchens' former team, Kitchens was named offensive coordinator and play-caller for the game. The Giants would go on to lose to the Browns 20-6. It was announced for the 2021 season he would switch positions and become senior offensive assistant. Following the firing of Jason Garrett, Kitchens was named interim offensive coordinator for the Giants. Kitchens  was released after the 2021 season following the firing of Judge. Personal life. Kitchens has two daughters, Bennett and Camden, with his wife, Ginger. In 2013, Kitchens underwent emergency surgery to repair an aortic dissection.