Cleveland Browns hire Freddie Kitchens as head coach

Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The Cleveland Browns have promoted interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens to head coach.

Sources informed NFL Network and ESPN of the hire. Kitchens, 44, served as the Browns' offensive coordinator for the final eight games of the 2018 season. He was serving as assistant head coach/running backs coach before the Browns fired Hue Jackson and Todd Haley, making way for his promotion.

The team denied Kitchens permission to talk to other teams about offensive coordinator openings during the interview process.

Cleveland went 5-3 down the stretch and scored at least 20 points in six of those games. The Browns (7-8-1) began the season 2-5-1 and scored more than 20 points four times in the first eight games of 2018.

Kitchens spent 11 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before joining the Browns last offseason. He served as the team's running back coach in 2017 and was the quarterbacks coach from 2013 to 2016. He was the Cardinals' tight ends coach for six seasons.

The Browns have yet to officially announce the hire.