Ex-Browns HC Freddie Kitchens Reportedly Joins Giants on Joe Judge's Staff

Freddie Kitchens didn't have to wait long for his next coaching opportunity in the NFL.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Kitchens will join the New York Giants' staff, with Feldman adding he's expected to take over as the tight ends coach.

Many were surprised when the Giants landed on Joe Judge as the successor to Pat Shurmur given the fact he has mostly worked on the special teams staff in the NFL. Especially with Kitchens coming aboard, the 38-year-old wanted to surround himself with seasoned assistants to aid in his transition to head coach.

Kitchens has served as a tight ends coach for eight seasons across stops with the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and Mississippi State.

Judge and Kitchens also worked together with the Bulldogs in 2005. The former was a graduate assistant and the latter was the running backs coach.

The Cleveland Browns fired Kitchens in December after going 6-10 in the regular season. Although his brief tenure was a disappointment, he could be an asset to the Giants.

The 45-year-old might have been a victim of his own success to some extent in Cleveland. Baker Mayfield's rapid progress as a rookie when Kitchens was offensive coordinator put him in line for the head coaching job before he was ready for that kind of step up.

Now, he can climb back up the coaching ranks, possibly earning another opportunity to be a coordinator or head coach down the road.