The Cleveland Browns have officially named Ray Horton as the team's defensive coordinator.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson announced the news Friday morning.
“I have always watched Ray from afar,” Jackson said. “We have known each other. I have competed against him. I remember my time in Cincinnati competing against him when he was here. The guy is a tremendous football coach. He knows this division. He was raised in this division. He played in this division. He understands what needs to be done to get our defense back to where it needs to be. I wanted somebody that knew the lay of the land and understood the division, understands the culture here and understands the change that we need to make and someone who can lead our young players and develop players to get better."
Horton will be returning to Cleveland, where he ran coach Rob Chudzinski's defense in 2013.
The Browns have gone 10-22 in the two seasons while Horton was in Tennessee—and undergone another coaching change.
Under Horton, who played 10 seasons in the NFL for Dallas and Cincinnati, the Browns finished ninth in yards allowed -- a jump of 14 places from the previous season -- and were 23rd in points allowed per game. Horton's defense in Tennessee was ranked 12th overall this past season.
As a player and a coach, Horton has made it to the Super Bowl five times.
The team also announced the following additional hires:
- Pep Hamilton- associate head coach for offense
- Al Saunders- senior offensive assistant/wide receivers
- Kirby Wilson-running backs/run game coordination
- Hal Hunter-offensive line
- Mark Hudson- assistant offensive line
- Greg Seamon- tight ends
- Bob Saunders- offensive quality control
- Shawn Mennenga- special teams assistant
- Stan Watson- special teams quality control
