Browns Rumors: Patriots' Monti Ossenfort to Interview for GM Opening

The Cleveland Browns will reportedly interview New England Patriots college scouting director Monti Ossenfort for their general manager opening Friday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Pelissero added that it will be Ossenfort's first interview for an NFL GM job. The Patriots blocked him from interviewing with the Houston Texans two years ago.

The Browns have been searching for a new general manager since parting ways with John Dorsey in December after he spent two seasons with the organization.

Ossenfort joined the Pats in 2005 and gradually worked his way up through the organization. He began as a personnel assistant before becoming an area scout, national scout and then assistant director of college scouting.

When Jon Robinson left the Patriots in 2014 to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' director of player personnel, Ossenfort was promoted to director of college scouting.

Since that promotion, the Patriots have won three Super Bowls, and they have won four Super Bowls overall during Ossenfort's tenure with the organization.

While the Patriots are the NFL's gold standard, the Browns are at the other end of the spectrum. They have the NFL's longest active playoff drought at 17 years, and they haven't finished with a record of .500 or better since going 10-6 in 2007.

After the Browns finished 2018 strong and went 7-8-1 overall, there were high hopes surrounding them entering the 2019 season. Many experts and publications picked the Browns to win the AFC North, but they instead regressed to 6-10.

Freddie Kitchens was fired as the Browns' head coach after just one season, and he has been replaced by former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski.

There are some major question marks regarding the Browns' roster, as quarterback Baker Mayfield regressed during his second season, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. struggled after his acquisition from the New York Giants and the offensive line was shaky.

Cleveland has a solid core in place, though, with star running back Nick Chubb and pass-rusher Myles Garrett leading the way, so the GM vacancy may still be attractive to many.