Browns extension for Bill Callahan a no-brainer
By Randy Gurzi
The Cleveland Browns were able to keep Bill Callahan on staff despite interest from the New York Jets, and it’s easy to see why they wanted him to return
The New York Jets had their eyes on Bill Callahan and the Cleveland Browns let it be known they wanted him to stay. New York has an opening at offensive coordinator but Callahan won’t be speaking with them as he signed an extension to remain in his role as the Browns offensive line coach.
Callahan is a veteran coach who began his career in the collegiate ranks in 1980 as an assistant with Illinois. He’s served in several capacities since then, including head coach with the Oakland Raiders in 2002 and 2003. During that time, he took the Raiders to the Super Bowl where they lost to his former boss, Jon Gruden.
He’s also been a head coach at Nebraska and served as the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys and Raiders (before taking the head coaching gig). But where he’s made his money is coaching the offensive line.
Callahan has fielded some of the best offensive lines in the game. During his tenure in Dallas, they were arguably the best in the game as he oversaw the development of players such as Tyron Smith and Zack Martin. The same has been said about the front line in Cleveland for the majority of his tenure as he helped Wyatt Teller blossom into a star and has done a remarkable job when asked to shuffle due to injuries.
The news on Callahan wasn’t just an easy decision, but it’s a popular one as well. And that was welcome after some frustration was voiced when Mary Kay Cabot reported that special teams coordinator Mike Priefer and Jeff Howard were told their jobs were safe, meaning the majority of the coaching staff will be the same — outside of defensive coordinator.
