Cleveland Browns: Hue Jackson “Irate” Over Joe Haden Decision

Almost like clockwork it appears the Cleveland Browns coaching staff and front office are once again at odds with each other.

One must credit owner Jimmy Haslam. He has an uncanny knack of setting up a team structure that is almost guaranteed to create animosity up and down the chain of command. It was true with Mike Pettine and Sam Farmer. They turned the team into a circus act towards the end of their respective tenures. Now, according to rumor, the same might be happening again with Hue Jackson and Sashi Brown.

Why? All of it has to do with decision to release cornerback Joe Haden. It’s well known the former Pro Bowl cornerback had struggled with injuries in recent years. There was an undercurrent though that he was rounding back into form during the preseason. That didn’t stop the Browns from cutting him though. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the move did not go over well with the head coach.

"“The decision by Browns general manager Sashi Brown to release top corner Joe Haden shortly before the start of the season renewed long-simmering tensions between the front office and Hue Jackson’s coaching staff and was met by near unanimous disapproval in the locker room and with the football staff, sources said.Haden was having a tremendous offseason, was healthier than he has been in years and was seen as a pivotal leader on and off the field for a perpetually rebuilding defense…Sources said Jackson was not aware the front office had been shopping the corner, one of the team’s highest-paid players, and the coaches viewed Haden as an invaluable piece of their team, especially at a position where the Browns are not deep.Jackson was “irate” when Haden was released, I’m told, as the move had no tangible football merit.”"

Depth of secondary was cut into for unnecessary salary cap relief

Given the wealth of wide receiver talent in the AFC North alone, it’s easy to understand why Jackson was upset. For all the talk about Haden’s issues, he still had three interceptions in 2016. He hasn’t even turned 30-years old yet either. It’s fair to believe that he could regain his Pro Bowl form. All he’d have to do is get his body right. Signs indicated he was doing just that. Then before he can prove it, he’s released.

Sad to say this sounds like a classic Browns move. Suddenly their secondary looks a little less imposing than it did before. Whether Gregg Williams can mask the loss remains to be seen. Nonetheless it looked and felt like an unnecessary move in the name of cap relief. Money Cleveland weren’t really pressed for.