Giants' Jason Garrett Tests Positive for COVID-19; Kitchens to Be OC vs. Browns

The New York Giants announced Thursday that offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns.

Tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens, who served as the Browns head coach in 2019, will take over the Giants' play-calling duties for the Week 15 clash.

The team released further details:

Garrett joined the Giants' coaching staff in January after his contract as the Dallas Cowboys' head coach ended following the 2019 season. He guided the Cowboys to an 85-67 record with three playoff appearances across 10 years.

The former NFL quarterback had previously served as Dallas' offensive coordinator from 2007 through early in the 2010 season before being promoted.

His first year leading the Giants offense suffered a major setback when star running back Saquon Barkley suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 2.

In turn, New York ranks 31st in both total offense (300.1 yards per game) and scoring offense (18.3 points per game) heading into the Browns game.

It's a matchup that'll now garner even more attention with Kitchens being elevated into a prominent role. The contest had already been moved to Sunday Night Football given the strong play of both sides in recent weeks, though the G-Men's four-game winning streak ended last week.

Kitchens received praise for his work with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield when he was the offensive coordinator and the 2018 first overall pick was a rookie. Mayfield posted a 78.9 passer rating during the season's first half but showed major improvement to post a 106.2 mark over the final eight games.

That success didn't continue after the 46-year-old Alabama native was elevated to head coach, and he was fired last December after the Browns posted a 6-10 record during his only season in charge.

He was added to the Giants' staff shortly after the Garrett hiring and will now handle the play-calling responsibilities for at least one game as the team attempts to chase down a playoff berth.

New York (5-8) is one game behind the Washington Football Team (6-7) for the NFC East lead with three weeks left in the regular season.