Giants to Reportedly Interview Freddie Kitchens for Offensive Coordinator Position
By Ian Anderson
The New York Giants' coaching staff overhaul is underway with new head coach Joe Judge at the helm, and they are requesting to interview a recently-fired head coach to take over offensive coordinator duties.
Freddie Kitchens, formerly of the Cleveland Browns, will reportedly interview for the position of offensive coordinator under Joe Judge. Kitchens might be able to flourish in a return to this role, but this is a risky move given what happened this season when he was handed more responsibility.
Report: Joe Judge is expected to talk to Freddie Kitchens about spot on staff https://t.co/d5XtCk7X8P
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 9, 2020
Kitchens has spent the last 14 years in the NFL, but was never promoted to a position with status similar to an offensive coordinator until 2018, when the Browns hired him to be their OC.
The Browns' offense looked promising during the final half of 2018 when Baker Mayfield took the league by storm, but significantly faltered last season when Kitchens was appointed head coach. Though he found magic in spot duty in '18, it didn't come close to carrying over.
A wildcard candidate to be Judge’s offensive coordinator could be recently fired #Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens.
— Scout Kelley (@ScoutKelley) January 8, 2020
Kitchens was RB coach at Mississippi State in 2005 when Judge was a graduate assistant.#Giants pic.twitter.com/hREjTutpWX
Judge and Kitchens do have some history together. The two worked on the same coaching staff back in 2005 for Mississippi State.
If Kitchens were to be hired as the Giants' offensive coordinator, fans should give him a chance before bringing out the pitchforks. He got a Pro-Bowl caliber season out of Nick Chubb last season, despite still somehow under-utilizing him, so maybe he could work some magic with the Giants' generational talent at running back in Saquon Barkley.