The Browns are still looking for a quarterbacks coach to join Mike Pettine’s staff for the 2015 season, but they’ve found someone to work with their wide receivers.
Adam Caplan of ESPN reports that the team will hire Joker Phillips to fill that role. Phillips was most recently the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Florida in the 2012 and 2013 seasons, a job he took after spending three years as the head coach at the University of Kentucky. He led the Wildcats to a 13-24 record during those seasons and the Browns job will be his first in the NFL.
Phillips will be tasked with shaping up a group that likely won’t include Josh Gordon. Gordon is expected to serve a suspension for the 2015 season after a positive test for alcohol triggered a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. With Miles Austin set to become a free agent, the top receivers currently under contract and expected to be available are Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel.
Phillips replaces Mike McDaniel, who left the team along with former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan at the end of the season.