Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton appears to be the fall guy for a 1-15 season.
The Browns have discussed firing Horton for a few days and could make the move soon.
The presumptive favorite to replace him is Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
Alex Marvez of Sporting News reported Friday the Browns are making a change at defensive coordinator and added Williams had been offered the job and Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips also had been contacted about the vacancy.
Late Friday, Cleveland.com reported the Browns also reached out to former Jacksonville Jaguars coach Gus Bradley, who was fired Dec. 18.
Williams has until Monday to decide whether he’ll accept the job, according to the Sporting News report.
The Rams and Broncos are conducting head-coaching searches. The Rams fired Jeff Fisher during the season, and Gary Kubiak retired this week as coach of the Broncos.
In coach Hue Jackson’s first year in charge of the Browns, they set a franchise record for most losses in a season, so it’s not shocking that he would look to shake up his coaching staff.
On Monday, Jackson said he would “take a look at it all” when asked whether he planned to make changes to his staff.
Under Horton, the defense ranked 31st out of 32 teams in yards allowed per game (392.4) and 30th in points surrendered per game (28.3). It ranked 21st in passing yards given up per game (249.8) and 31st in rushing yards surrendered a game (142.7).
Whenever a coordinator is fired, several assistants are usually ousted, too.
Horton used a 3-4 base defense in his multifront scheme. Williams and Bradley employ a 4-3 base, and Phillips uses a 3-4 base.
Williams and Phillips are former head coaches with Super Bowl wins as defensive coordinators.
Williams, 58, has three seasons as head coach of the Buffalo Bills (2001-03) and 15 seasons as an NFL defensive coordinator on his resume. He guided the New Orleans Saints defense when they won the Super Bowl to end the 2009 season. The NFL suspended Williams for the 2012 season for his role in the Saints’ bounty scandal.
This would be the second time Horton has become a one-and-done coordinator with the Browns. He led their defense in 2013 but was let go after the season when coach Rob Chudzinski was fired.
Although Jackson kept his job after winning just one game, Horton’s exit would end any notion of continuity for the Browns this offseason. The organization hasn’t gone without a head coaching or coordinator change since the offseason after the 2009 season.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Browns blog at www.ohio.com/browns. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/NateUlrichABJ and on Facebook www.facebook.com/abj.sports.