Cleveland Browns will fire John Dorsey as general manager
By Matt Conner
Former Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey has apparently worn out his welcome with another organization: the Cleveland Browns.
Finding and keeping quality leaders has been an issue for quite some time within the Cleveland Browns organization. Even after switching owners entirely, somehow the franchise is cursed from finding any semblance of stable leadership in the front office and/or the sidelines of the actual field. It seems as if that trend will continue once again with another regime moving through the revolving door at the end of the 2019 season.
Not only have the Browns decided to fire Freddie Kitchens as head coach after a single six-win season, but general manager John Dorsey and Vice President Alonzo Highsmith are also being shown the door this offseason. Instead, Cleveland is once again deciding to start all over in all aspects of the organizational structure in hopes of getting it right.
Dorsey needs no introduction as the former general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs before Brett Veach. Working together with head coach Andy Reid, Dorsey has an excellent reputation for finding talent in the draft and free agency. His keen eye is one of the best in the business and the foundation he helped build is largely why the Chiefs stand where they do—with a first-round bye and Super Bowl hopes.
That said, there was also a reason why Dorsey was allowed to leave without re-upping his five-year contract when Andy Reid was receiving a shiny new contract extension after the 2017 season. The organization decided to part ways with Dorsey and even granted him an early exit when it was requested, a move that allowed him to find a new home with the Browns.
During his tenure, the Browns drafted Baker Mayfield at No. 1 overall, grabbed a top flight corner in Denzel Ward, installed one of the best running backs in the business in Nick Chubb, traded for the league’s best wideout in Odell Beckham, Jr., and more. On paper, the Browns have plenty of talent which is why they were predicted to accomplish great things. Unfortunately it all fell apart under poor leadership and that fault line runs all the way through the front office apparently.
It will be interesting to see what sort of market develops for a guy who gave the Chiefs names like Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, Mitchell Schwartz, Eric Fisher, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Chris Jones, Alex Smith, and even Patrick Mahomes (say what you want about Brett Veach’s fire for the guy, but Dorsey was the one in charge who also had to trade to the exact spot to get him).
Has Dorsey worn out his last welcome in the NFL? What team will be willing to hand him total control when he’s been asked to leave twice in the last three years by two different franchises? With that track record, he should earn some consideration, but everyone needs to be a team player and think about the bigger picture in terms of team culture, finances, etc.