Cleveland Browns: Is Alex Van Pelt the right hire at OC?
The Cleveland Browns hired Alex Van Pelt as its next offensive coordinator. It is a move that leaves some scratching their heads.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic was first to report that the Cleveland Browns were hiring Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator on Wednesday night.
Van Pelt has spent the last two seasons of his coaching career with the Cincinnati Bengals as quarterbacks coach.
The former 11 year pro as a quarterback in the NFL, Van Pelt comes to Cleveland with no prior work experience with head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Sources: Browns moving towards hire of Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) January 30, 2020
It leaves one to wonder why this hire makes any sense. Both coaches have been in the league for over a decade so their paths have surely have crossed, but in an organization that values alignment the way the Browns do, this hire doesn’t seem to accomplish that.
Assuming that Stefanski wants to incorporate his offensive concepts and zone blocking scheme that was used last year in Minnesota, does Van Pelt breed confidence in being able to help create this offense? Working for Sean McVay’s right hand man last season in Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, hopefully Van Pelt received a one year PHD in offensive football.
But this hire leaves one wanting more. The possibilities of hiring San Francisco 49ers’ assistants Mike LaFleur or Mike McDaniel were very intriguing. Even brining in someone from Minnesota like quarterback coach Klint Kubiak would seem more logical.
But a lot of NFL people love Van Pelt and even one of his former players in Aaron Rodgers was very upset when the Packers let him go a few seasons back.
Some thoughts on Alex Van Pelt:
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) January 30, 2020
•Rodgers loved him & was pretty livid when the Packers didn’t re-sign him after the ‘17 season
•The Bengals have had issues, but Van Pelt helped Dalton evolve in ‘18. Andy was much more comfortable on the move & led Cincy to a 4-1 start #Browns
Hopefully this is a home run hire for Stefanski and Van Pelt is one of the next great offensive minds in football where other NFL franchises will be looking at him as a head coaching candidate in two seasons. The task is tall however. Fixing Baker Mayfield is priority number one, followed by the installation and execution of a brand new offense.
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Is Alex Van Pelt the right man for this position? Only time will tell but it is worth keeping an eye on as this next season unfolds.