The Browns are interviewing former New York Giants coach Ben McAdoo for their offensive coordinator job Tuesday at team headquarters in Berea, a person familiar with the situation confirmed.
The Giants fired McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese on Dec. 4 after they started the season 2-10 and the coach enraged the fan base by benching quarterback Eli Manning.
They went 11-5 in McAdoo's first season on the job in 2016 and lost to the Green Bay Packers 38-13 in a wild-card playoff game. They finished 3-13 in 2017 and have the second overall pick in April's draft, one spot behind the Browns, who will likely use the first selection on a quarterback. The Giants are reportedly expected to hire ex-Browns coach Pat Shurmur as McAdoo's successor.
McAdoo, 40, was the offensive coordinator of the Giants from 2014-15 under coach Tom Coughlin. Before arriving in New York, McAdoo coached quarterbacks (2012-13) and tight ends (2006-11) for the Packers. New Browns GM John Dorsey was a Packers executive for all but one of those seasons.
Browns coach Hue Jackson has called the offense's plays the past two seasons but failed to adequately juggle those duties with his game-management responsibilities. The set-up has been a factor in the Browns going 1-31 under Jackson _ 1-15 in 2016 and 0-16 in 2017.
Two other candidates have surfaced in Jackson's search for an offensive coordinator. ESPN.com reported Monday night the Browns were in discussions with fired Tennessee Titans coach Mike Mularkey about their offensive coordinator position. And Jackson interviewed Houston Texans quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan for the job on Jan. 10.
McAdoo interviewed for the Browns' head-coaching job in 2014. The gig went to Mike Pettine, and McAdoo wound up as the Giants' offensive coordinator.
The Giants ranked 10th (367.2 yards per game) and eighth (372.3) in total offense during McAdoo's two seasons as a coordinator. But the offense struggled with McAdoo calling the plays as a head coach. The Giants ranked 25th (330.7) in total offense in 2016, and McAdoo relinquished play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan five games into the 2017 season.
McAdoo worked with the offensive line and tight ends as an assistant offensive line/quality control coach for the San Francisco 49ers (2005) and an offensive assistant/quality control coach for the New Orleans Saints (2004). McAdoo left two college football programs _ Stanford University in 2005 and the University of Akron in 2004 _ after brief stints during the recruiting season to take the jobs with the 49ers and Saints.
He was an assistant at the University of Pittsburgh (2003), Fairfield University (2002) and Michigan State University (2001) after spending four years coaching high school football.
