Cleveland Brown’s Coach Employes a new QB because he d…..
Shortly after losing to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round on January 13, the Cleveland Browns fired three of their offensive coaches.
On Wednesday
HIRING UPDATES
The Browns have moved quickly and made two hires on the offensive side of the ball.
Running Backs Coach: Duce Staley
Staley interviewed with the Browns and the Jets and will reportedly accept the job in Cleveland.
y morning, January 17, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports announced that the team had chosen to let go of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. The Browns will also part ways with tight ends coach T.C. McCartney and running backs coach Stump Mitchell.
Kevin Stefanski will be aiming to bolster the offensive coordinator position with a bright and creative offensive mind.
Staley was with the Eagles from 2011 until 2020. He took a position with the Lions in 2021 to take on both associate head coach and running backs coach positions. He continued to serve in the same capacity with the Panthers under the head coach Frank Reich until the beginning of the 2023 season. However, on November 27, he was terminated along with Reich and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.
Tight Ends Coach: Tommy Rees
Rees served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator for one season under Nick Saban. After Saban announced his retirement, new coach Kalen DeBoer declined to keep Rees.
It is not shocking that Rees wasn’t unemployed for long. He formerly served as Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator and has an excellent reputation.
The position with the Browns will be his second in the NFL. In 2016, he worked as an offensive assistant for the Chargers.
Offensive Coordinator Candidates Interviewed
The Browns have interviewed three candidates for the offensive coordinator position as of Wednesday.
New Note: They are planning on interviewing former Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson on Thursday.
Jerrod Johnson – Quarterbacks Coach, Houston Texans
Johnson has had a significant influence on the growth of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Johnson coached for Kyle Shanahan for a year, Frank Reich for three seasons, and Kevin O’Connell and Bobby Slowik since.
Johnson’s endorsements from all those offensive brains and his superb track record in quarterback development make him an impressive candidate who will be getting a lot of attention after what he and Slowik accomplished this season.
Andy Dickerson – Offensive Line Coach, Seattle Seahawks
Dickerson was most recently the Seahawks offensive line coach, but he, like former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, has been permitted to pursue alternative opportunities since Pete Carroll transitioned from head coach to advisor.
Dickerson transitioned to Seattle in 2021 as offensive run game coordinator before becoming offensive line coach in 2022.
Note: Dickerson interviewed for the Bengals Offensive Coordinator position on Tuesday. Dickerson and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor worked on the same offensive staff under Sean McVay in 2017-18. However, the Bengals have decided to promote their quarterbacks coach, Dan Pitcher, to fill the offensive coordinator position in Cincinnati.
Ken Dorsey – Former Offensive Coordinator, Buffalo Bills
Dorsey was dismissed in November, following the Bills’ Week 10 defeat to the Broncos. He was in his second year as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator. Sean McDermott had elevated him from passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach to take over for Brian Daboll, who had become head coach of the Giants.
Buffalo’s offense finished second in points and second in total yards in 2022.
Dorsey started as a pro scout for the Panthers and was their quarterbacks coach from 2013-2017.
Dorsey, 42, played with the Browns from 2006 to 2008. In 2008, he made three starts for the club and finished 0-3.
Offensive Coordinator Candidates
Darell Bevell – Quarterbacks coach/Passing game coordinator, Miami Dolphins
Bevell was the Offensive Coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings from 2006-2010, where he coached with Stefanski. In 2009, his Vikings offense finished fifth in yards and second in scoring.
Bevell was the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks from 2011-2017 and won the Super Bowl in 2013.
Bevell has worked with Brett Favre, Brad Johnson, Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, and Tua Tagovailoa.
Under coach Mike McDaniel, the Dolphins boast the best passing offense and the second-highest scoring offense in 2024.
Brian Johnson – Offensive Coordinator, Philadelphia Eagles
Johnson was interviewed by the Browns recently and is in consideration for the role. Johnson has been around Nick Sirianni and Shane Steichen in his previous roles with the Eagles both as coordinator and quarterbacks coach the two seasons before that. He has extensive work with Jalen Hurts in helping him turn into an All-Pro caliber quarterback.
He was a scapegoat for an offense that struggled in 2023 largely due to Sirianni’s overwhelming input on the offense and a lack of pro-snap diversity in quarterback choice and motion.
It is possible Johnson was interviewing for the quarterbacks coach role as well.
Tim Kelly – Offensive Coordinator, Tennessee Titans
Kelly has been the Titans offensive coordinator for two seasons, but with Head Coach Mike Vrabel being fired after the season, Kelly will likely be on the job market as well. Typically, a newly hired Head Coach wants to bring in his own staff.
Kelly is intriguing because he was the offensive coordinator when Deshaun Watson played his best season in the NFL.
He was with the Texans from 2014-2021 and was the offensive coordinator for three seasons, 2019-2021. Two of those seasons were with Watson as his quarterback. Watson’s success in Kelly’s offense makes him a potential candidate for Stefanksi.
