Browns hire Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator

The Cleveland Browns named veteran assistant Gregg Williams their defensive coordinator, head coach Hue Jackson announced Sunday.

As previous reports indicated, the move comes in tandem with the dismissal of Ray Horton just one year after he landed in Cleveland as part of the new-look coaching staff.

"We are thrilled that Gregg Williams is joining our staff as defensive coordinator," Jackson said in a statement. "Gregg has been an outstanding defensive coach in this league for a very long time. His defenses have frequently finished among the top 10 in the league.

"He adapts his scheme to maximize the strengths of his personnel and has always been able to get the most out of his players. We look forward to him coming in, helping our players improve, and helping us become the winning team we are all working towards."

Williams has spent the last three years as defensive coordinator with the Rams, the most productive showing being a ninth-ranked finish in 2016.

Previous stops in that role came with the New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington Redskins, and Tennessee Titans. Williams also spent three years as the Buffalo Bills' head coach from 2001-2003.

Horton faced a difficult task in leading the Browns' defense in the first season of a mass organizational rebuild, but the unit ranking 31st in yards and 30th in scoring was evidently enough for Jackson and Co. to seek a change.