Hue Jackson to Return as Browns Head Coach: Latest Comments and Reaction

Despite a terrible 2016 season, the Cleveland Browns decided to keep head coach Hue Jackson around for the 2017 campaign.

According to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal, Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam said after Sunday's loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that "he's staying the course" and keeping Jackson and the front office.

Jackson, 51, was hired this past offseason and posted a 1-15 record in his first year. After the team started 0-3, he assured reporters and the Browns fanbase the team wasn't tanking. As Conor Orr of NFL.com noted, though, the team made a number of moves that didn't exactly leave Jackson with the league's strongest roster:

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Yes, the Browns are selling off assets in order to improve their chances in the draft over the next two years. Yes, they allowed center Alex Mack to walk in free agency, opting to play a 2015 first-round draft pick that they hoped would develop into something comparable for half the cost. Yes, they traded Andy Lee, Barkevious Mingo and Justin Gilbert and no, they did not sign any high-priced free agents in the offseason or keep the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft to take a quarterback of the future.

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Orr's stance at the time was that the Browns weren't actively tanking but were building for the future. Maintaining continuity with Jackson makes sense, then, especially since he wasn't given the tools to put a winning team on the field this season.

Moreover, despite the team's poor record, it was competitive in many of its games. For instance, in Week 2, the Browns blew a 20-point lead to the Baltimore Ravens and couldn't score on their final drive. The next week against the Miami Dolphins, they lost in overtime after Cody Parkey missed a field goal as time expired (one of three field goals he missed on the day).

In total, five of Cleveland's losses came by one possession (eight points or fewer).

Jackson and the Browns will now have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft and an entire offseason to add some talent to the team before the coach begins his second season. Haslam showed some faith in Jackson's ability to turn things around with his decision Sunday. 

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