Hue Jackson: What Is Left On The Shopping List?

There is plenty to do for Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson. What is on coach Jackson’s shopping list that he still has to take care of?

Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson is wasting no time, quickly ditching most of the current coaching staff. He is reportedly close to bringing in long time NFL coach Al Saunders as an offensive assistant.

The Saunders hire would be a huge boost to this team and it is only the beginning of Hue Jackson and the Cleveland Browns offseason shopping. But, assuming Saunders does come to Cleveland, what else is on the list for the Browns new coach?

At the top of the list needs to be a difference making defensive coordinator. That coach might be Ray Horton, who was already a Browns coordinator in 2013 with former head coach Rod Chudzinski. Horton’s unit that season was ninth in yards allowed, but 23rd in points after being saddled by an offense even more inept than what we saw in 2015. Remember, that was former Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden‘s last year in Cleveland.

Another coach that could also make an impact is former Tampa Bay head coach Lovie Smith. His work in Chicago and in Tampa is well known. Even with a disappointing record for the Bucs this season, Smith’s defense made huge strides in his second year to get to 10th in the league in yards allowed.

2015 was not a banner year, but it was far better than their 26th ranking in 2014. Smith would bring a wealth of NFL experience and a new scheme to a team with many fans who have wanted to see a switch to a 4-3 based defense.

Next on the list is Josh Gordon. Yes, that Josh Gordon. The NFL still has to reinstate him as an active player in the league, but Jackson should at least check in on the best receiver the Cleveland Browns have had in recent seasons. At the very least, Hue Jackson can help mend whatever ties have been severed between the Browns and Gordon, who at least has shown support for the team on his Twitter account. If all Jackson finds out is that Gordon is able to pass a drug test and show up to camp in shape, that’s enough to give Gordon a chance to get his career back on track.

Third on the shopping list is a taker for Johnny Manziel and Justin Gilbert. Do you what really jump started Tampa Bay’s improvement with Smith that we mentioned above? He jettisoned all of the knuckleheads that dragged down the roster and caused more problems than they were worth.

That included former Pro Bowl safety Dashon Goldson and defensive end Michael Johnson as well as safety/linebacker Mark Barron, who is a former first round pick.

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Hue Jackson could do the same with Gilbert and Manziel, both of whom where first rounders in 2014. Neither player has had a truly positive impact on the field and their issues off of it are well chronicled on this site. Maybe Jackson could cut bait with a team willing to take on some the risk and move this team forward without the distractions.

Last on the list (for now) is a personnel guru that Hue Jackson can work with. How many nutty reports surfaced this past season about rifts between former head coach Mike Pettine, former general manager Ray Farmer, president Alec Scheiner, and owner Jimmy Haslam? How many of those reports came out of nowhere and only added to the perception of a dysfunctional leadership group?

If only for the sake of harmony, Hue Jackson needs to stay an active part of the search for a partner in the front office that can evaluate talent and put together a better 53 man roster than in years past. Most importantly, Jackson’s involvement is needed to build trust and collegiality with the person that takes on this role, be it a general manager or Direct of Player Personnel. The title really does not matter so long as the person that gets hired is not at the head coach’s throat all season.

It is a short list for now, but we have quite some time until the 2016 NFL Draft and free agency starts. By the time those events arrives, the list will almost certainly be shaken up. But Rome wasn’t built in a day. You all know we will cover the next steps in great detail.

Next: Signing Alshon Jeffery Would Be Smart

For now, though, Hue Jackson has these priorities in front of him.

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