Cleveland Browns

The winless Browns are hoping Art Briles can help fix their offense

Published Oct. 12, 2016 3:57 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Cleveland Browns' rebuild has been a disaster so far this season, with the team using five quarterbacks in the first five weeks, allowing a ton of points and scoring far too few.

New coach Hue Jackson and the front office are badly in need of help and not afraid to make a move. So the Browns are bringing in former Baylor coach Art Briles as a consultant to help fix the offense.

Former #Baylor coach Art Briles in his #Browns gear at practice today pic.twitter.com/5MIhvCdV2B
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 12, 2016

#Browns Hue Jax said Art Briles will be here awhile, but not a long time. "He's a tremendous offensive mind.'' Hue is picking his brains.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 12, 2016

Briles knows a thing or two about that, having led high-scoring Baylor teams. But he was ousted from his job earlier this year amid an ugly scandal involving a string of sexual assault accusations against players in his program, and the stigma still is attached to the coach. Bringing in Briles makes for an awkward situation from a PR standpoint, but Jackson said "what happened at Baylor's at Baylor."

“We’ve all been kind of knocked down before; I have too,” Jackson told reporters Wednesday — the same day that Briles was added to a federal lawsuit by one of the Baylor rape victims.

“I’ve been unfairly judged before and judged correctly, too. I try not to do that with people. I try to take people for face value and who they are and what they are, and I just know I’ve met him and have talked to him extensively and I think, again, whatever’s happened at Baylor, I’m not condoning or him being here says that we condone anything."

#Browns Hue Jax on Art Briles: "I've been unfairly judged before...I try not to do that with people. I try to take people for face value'
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 12, 2016

#Browns coach Hue Jackson said he spoke to management before inviting former Baylor coach Art Briles.
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) October 12, 2016

I respect #Browns HC Hue Jackson, but having Art Briles at camp is indefensible. The permissive rape culture he led at Baylor is revolting.
— Brian Dulik (@BrianDulik) October 12, 2016

#Browns HC Hue Jackson on Art Briles: I'm not condoning anything that happened at Baylor, him being here doesn't mean we condone anything.
— Nate Ulrich (@NateUlrichABJ) October 12, 2016

Art Briles also visited #Browns & Baylor players in August, when he said: "It’s going to be a very exciting year for the Cleveland Browns.”
— PatMcManamon (@PatMcManamon) October 12, 2016

I had a feeling Briles might end up in the NFL. Didn't think it would be this week. https://t.co/632FHv5y9J
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) October 12, 2016

Briles wore Browns coaching gear on the field Wednesday and spent most of his time with the team's quarterbacks during the portion of the workout open to reporters. He did not speak to the media.

The 60-year-old Briles was suspended in May after a law firm released a 13-page report that accused Baylor coaches and staff of interfering with investigations into sexual assault complaints against some players, and even impeding potential criminal proceedings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.