Freddie Kitchens has some company — namely, the man who hired and fired him all within a year.
A day after the Browns fired Kitchens after one disappointing season, general manager John Dorsey was also let go as the Browns announced the two sides “mutually parted ways.”
On the same day Dave Gettleman spoke with a new lease on his Giants GM job and said the jury was still out on the Odell Beckham Jr. trade, the general manager on the other end of it was meeting with owner Jimmy Haslam to finalize his departure. The sides could not agree on Dorsey’s restructured role with more power reportedly going to chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta, the former Mets executive who runs the analytics end of the Browns organization.
Dorsey’s biggest move was landing Beckham for Jabrill Peppers and a first- and third-round pick last March. The Browns hoped it would push them into the playoffs after a strong finish in 2018, but so far the move has only caused more headaches as they finished with a worse record in 2019.
“Really and truly, we’re not going to know about that trade for two years,” Gettleman said about the Giants’ haul for the star receiver.
“Two rookies, and Jabrill (Peppers) is only in his third year. We’re really not going to be able to evaluate that trade until two years. You come back in two years and hopefully I’m standing here, we can have that conversation. I’m being honest, you have to wait. People immediately want thumbs up or thumbs down. Right now, we are excited about Dexter Lawrence, Oshane (Ximines) and Jabrill (Peppers). We’re going to find out.”
Dorsey did not have the luxury of more time.
Under Dorsey’s watch, the Browns are 13-18-1. He took over at the end of the 2017 season after being fired as the Chiefs’ general manager. Dorsey fired Hue Jackson in the middle of the 2018 season before hiring Kitchens, a move that blew up in his face as the Browns sputtered to a 6-10 season in 2019.
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