At this point, we don’t have a great sense of who the Cleveland Browns will bring in to be the offensive coordinator for the 2024 season, but there's no doubt they are making changes to get the most out of Deshaun Watson. It’s really difficult to call the Watson trade a bad deal just yet, but there's no doubt it hasn’t lived up to expectations.
The suspension in 2022 and season ending should injury in 2023 have never allowed him to get in any type of rhythm. It’s never easy to see a good portion of the staff lose their job, but now that the dust has settled it feels like the right move. I see Kevin Stefanski bringing in a rising star offensive coordinator with a clear path to give up play-calling.
A change at coordinator and change in philosophy on offense can change the skillset required in certain players as well. With these changes, you could see these three offensive players on the chopping block.
Cleveland Browns Player No. 3 – Harrison Bryant
With Harrison Bryant being a free agent this offseason and the offensive coordinator change, I don’t see a scenario where Bryant makes it to the 2024 season on this roster. In four seasons with the Browns Bryant has accumulated 791 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. Just enough production to not get cut, but nothing near enough to keep him around for another contract.
Bryant isn’t athletic enough to be an effective tight end in heavy passing system, and he’s just small enough that his inline blocking is also a major struggle, especially in short-yardage situations. The new offense will likely be spread-based and need a productive tight end catching the football, or a massive body to bring in on short yardage plays. I don’t necessarily think Bryant was a bad pick by Andrew Berry, but the need for his presence has certainly passed.
Cleveland Browns Player No. 2 – David Bell
With David Bell being drafted just two seasons ago, some will argue that Berry won’t be ready to give up on him just yet. But I think we’ve seen enough of Bell, and he is another likely casualty with the change in offense.
Remember, Bell was an absolute stat stuffer at Purdue and had great production even against strong opponents. But with a lackluster combine that showed his true colors as slow and lacking explosion, he eventually fell to the Cleveland Browns in round three.
In two years, Bell had a total of 38 catches for under 400 yards and three touchdowns (two of which came in garbage time vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in week 17 last season. Bell is a possession receiver who struggles to get separation but had some success finding the soft spot in the zone.
With the new coordinator likely looking to push the ball down the field and work deep crossing routes, Bell doesn’t fit into the system even more. I think Berry made it clear that the days of Bell were limited when he drafted Cedric Tillman who has far more explosion.
The interesting piece at wide receiver this offseason will be what happens with Amari Cooper. His cap number is big, and many have expected Berry to part ways with the veteran. But we saw firsthand how limited this receiving group is without Cooper. No matter how the Cooper situation goes, look for some changes at the bottom of the depth chart which includes Bell no longer being on the roster.
Cleveland Browns Player No. 1 – Wyatt Teller
I know this next player will be an unpopular opinion, but the film doesn’t like it anymore. As much as we love to watch Wyatt Teller block in the open field for Nick Chubb, I’m tired of watching average defensive tackles swim-move him and put instant pressure on the quarterback.
Not only will we likely see the zone running scheme slow down which takes away the need for extremely athletic guards, but the new offense will require more time in the pocket. There's no doubt that Watson is a quarterback who takes his time reading the defense, but that has led to a ton of big plays over the years.
Teller has a large cap hit in 2024 and is a guy who signed an extension from Berry. Even though that will make this harder, I think he still has a decent trade value or could also be a post-June 1 cut candidate as well.
This offensive line has a ton of money invested into it, and pass protection was one of the biggest issues for this team that was exposed in a big way vs. the Texans in the playoffs. Getting all three tackles healthy and finding a way to move on from Teller for someone better in pass protection would be a major upgrade for this team in 2024.
Even though Teller has cleared a lot of holes for Chubb to run through, the new style of offense will open even bigger holes with the threat of Watson throwing the ball all over the field.