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Morocco Brown Hired as VP of Player Personnel by the Cleveland Browns

Another former Redskins employee is heading to Cleveland.

By Scott Jennings

Mary Kay Cabot from Cleveland.com is reporting that Redskins Director of Pro Personnel Morocco Brown will be leaving the team to join the Cleveland Browns as VP of Player Personnel. According to sources, Brown interviewed for the position over the weekend. Brown has been considered a candidate for several GM jobs over the last few years. He interviewed last year for the Cardinals GM position, and also interviewed this offseason for the GM job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There was some speculation that Brown could have been an in-house candidate for the Redskins GM position if Bruce Allen was given a different title in the organization. Becoming the Vice President of Player Personnel in Cleveland is a promotion in his career that he wasn't getting in Washington.

This leaves a job opening in Bruce Allen's front office for the first time since he was named the General Manager after Mike Shanahan was fired. Doug Williams was hired in February, and given the title of Personnel Executive. He has been involved in both the draft process, and free agency. He has past experience in scouting, coaching, and in the front office and could be the replacement in waiting for Brown. A.J. Smith is another front office executive who is lurking in the background. The former San Diego Chargers G.M. has been involved more in the draft process, than in pro player personnel, but he is a close friend of Bruce Allen, and could be tapped to fill Brown's role.

The Redskins and Bruce Allen could be making a mistake by not promoting Brown sooner, or at least trying to retain him. Brown is ambitious and wanted to have a bigger role with whatever team was willing to give it to him. He is considered a hard working, and knowledgeable executive, and the Redskins have a history of letting young executives with potential go by not promoting them.

From his Redskins.com bio:

Morocco Brown enters his sixth season in 2013 as Director of Pro Personnel after being hired from the Chicago Bears on May 20, 2008.

He is responsible for coordinating the advance scouting of Redskins opponents, participating in all Draft meetings, and the evaluation of all professional leagues for potential free agents and trade prospects.

Brown has been responsible for adding a number of free agents that have contributed significantly during the tenure of Head Coach Mike Shanahan. In an aggressive start to the 2012 free agency period, Brown was instrumental in the signing of receivers, Pierre Garçon and Joshua Morgan.

During an abbreviated free agency period during the 2011 offseason, Brown was instrumental in the Redskins signing defensive end Stephen Bowen, nose tackle Barry Cofield and cornerback Josh Wilson, all of whom helped the Redskins jump from the 31st-ranked total defense in the NFL in 2010 to the 13th-ranked total defense in 2011.

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