After a thorough search for their new offensive coordinator, the Cleveland Browns wound up selecting Ken Dorsey who previously held the same position with the Buffalo Bills. His tenure in Buffalo started hot with an explosive 2022 campaign but then he was let go during the 2023 season when the offense couldn't stop turning the ball over.
Now in Cleveland, Dorsey might not be focused on play-calling since Kevin Stefanski has handled this since joining the team in 2020. That means he will be able to spend his time helping develop game plans and coming up with strategies to maximize the talent on this roster.
With that being the case, several players will likely benefit from his arrival. Here, we identify the three who will benefit the most from Dorsey's selection.
3. David Njoku, Tight End
This was the breakout season we've been waiting for with David Njoku. A first-round pick from Miami in 2017, he's always been good but he has the athleticism and tools to be great. In 2023, he was finally in the great category — especially after Joe Flacco arrived.
Njoku had career highs in receptions (81), yardage (882), and touchdowns (six) this season but it still felt as though he could have done more. That's where having Ken Dorsey can help. While we all know he helped out Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs in Buffalo, it's easy to gloss over how good the tight ends have been for the Bills.
Dawson Knox was solid when Dorsey took over but he still put up 517 yards and six touchdowns. This past season, however, he took a step back as rookie Dalton Kincaid took over. The Utah product exceeded anything Knox ever did with 73 receptions on 91 targets (an insane catch rate of 80.2 percent). He scored just two touchdowns but the results as a whole were very promising.
While Dorsey didn't get to finish out the year, he had Kincaid heavily involved from the start. Knowing he can do this for a rookie should give Njoku hope that he can not only build upon his success from 2023 but perhaps exceed it.
2. Elijah Moore, Wide Receiver
We all know Stefon Diggs saw an uptick in production when Ken Dorsey took over but that was expected. Diggs is an All Pro wideout and seeing him go from 1,225 yards to 1,429 wasn't entirely shocking. But what might have been missed was the increase in production of the players around him.
Isaiah McKenzie is a prime example as he had a career-best campaign with 423 yards and four touchdowns on 42 receptions. He parlayed that into a deal with the Indianapolis Colts and managed just 82 yards and no touchdowns in 11 catches. As for his replacement, Khalil Shakir, he finished 2023 with 611 yards while averaging 15.7 yards per grab.
Gabriel Davis is another player who excelled under Dorsey. He had 599 yards as a rookie followed by 549 in year two. Then in 2022, he went for 836 yards on 46 receptions with seven touchdowns. For Davis, this was an average of 17.4 yards per grab. He continued to play well in 2023 with 746 yards and seven touchdowns and was one of the players who seemed to take a step back when Dorsey was let go.
All of this bodes well for Elijah Moore. Dorsey knows how to get the No. 1 option going but that hasn't stopped him from making sure the ball gets to the other players as well. And when they can stretch the field like Moore can, they will get the chance to do exactly that. This makes Moore one of the players who will benefit most from this move.
1. Deshaun Watson, Quarterback
As much as Ken Dorsey can help players such as Elijah Moore and David Njoku, this move was about one player — Deshaun Watson. Alex Van Pelt has done a good job working with quarterbacks which will be a large part of Dorsey's job. Thankfully, this is an area where he excels.
Dorsey actually joined the Bills in 2019 as the quarterbacks coach. His primary responsibility was to get Josh Allen on track. When he took over, Allen was coming off a rookie campaign where he completed just 52.8 percent of his attempts and had a 10-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
In their first season together, they addressed the turnovers as Allen played in four more games but had just nine picks and 20 touchdowns. His accuracy improved to 58.8 percent which was better but still needed work.
By their third season, they were rolling. Allen was up to a 69.2 completion percentage and had 37 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. He also managed 4,544 yards and became a legit MVP candidate. As fun as that transition was to watch, it wasn't a one-time thing for Dorsey.
Back in 2013, he was hired by Ron Rivera to be Cam Newton's quarterback coach. Again, he helped Newton improve his accuracy and touchdown-to-interception ratio. Newton completed 57.7 percent of his attempts in 2012 but went up to 61.7 with 24 touchdowns in 2013. While his accuracy continued to have peaks and valleys, Newton did with the NFL MVP in 2015 with 3,837 yards and an impressive 35-to-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Dorsey's work with Newton and Allen should be enough to get Cleveland fans fired up. He's going to be tasked with getting Deshaun Watson comfortable in this offense so we can see more performances like we saw in the second half against Baltimore and fewer like we saw in Pittsburgh in Week 2.
Watson has proven he can perform at the highest of levels. Adding Dorsey to help him stay on track could be what it takes to get him back to the top of his game.