Cleveland Browns: Pep Hamilton’s departure is slightly alarming

The Cleveland Browns lost another coach this offseason as Pep Hamilton decided to leave the team to join the Michigan Wolverines.

This past weekend saw the Cleveland Browns fire Ray Horton from his role as defensive coordinator, with Gregg Williams immediately being hired as his replacement. And while the move was a bit worrisome as there is already coaching turnover after just one season, it did not cause too much alarm.

Then the news broke Monday that the Browns lost another top assistant, this time on the offensive staff.

So after just one season under Hue Jackson and the new front office, the Browns will be without their top assistants on both sides of the ball in 2017.

Losing Hamilton is not a major problem from a play-calling perspective as Hue Jackson essentially served as the offensive coordinator this past season, but losing his top assistant means the players on offense will be hearing another voice from a top assistant role, which is nothing new for the few veterans on the roster.

Coordinators often join and leave teams at a faster pace than head coaches, but it is not a good sign that the Browns lose their top two assistants after just one season of this rebuilding phase. The message of 2016 was that there would be no turnover heading into 2017. Yet once again, the players will hear new prominent voices next season.

The fact Hamilton left instead of being fired is why this situation is not a major cause for alarm. For once, a coach leaving Cleveland is not due to the front office panicking and making a drastic move after one season. However, more change is not good for a team looking for any semblance of continuity to help improve upon a 1-15 season.

The change is frustrating, but a positive takeaway is that the head coach and main front office members are still here. With this franchise, it’s the little things that fans of other teams take for granted that matter most. Having a consistent philosophy from the front office and head coach should help the team improve, compared to years when the players have to learn entirely new systems in the offseason.

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The good news is that the Browns are still building this roster, so changing the coaching staff after a 1-15 season should not do too much harm. Keeping the head coach is the most important aspect of this offseason, and Jimmy Haslam seems to have finally learned his lesson.