Browns news: Play-calling still taking center stage
By Randy Gurzi
Earlier this week, the Cleveland Browns made it official with Ken Dorsey, who will replace Alex Van Pelt as the team's offensive coordinator. Dorsey met with the media and answered several questions with one expected question popping up — who will call the plays?
Kevin Stefanski has handled these duties since taking over the team in 2020 and for some reason, it has caused a lot of debate. Stefanski, who rose to prominence for his play-calling in Minnesota, has done well with the job in Cleveland but there are those who preder a CEO-type of coach.
While speaking with the media both Dorsey and Stefanski avoided a commital answer to the question, while Dorsey discussed shaping the offense as a whole. That story and more can be found in today's news round-up.
Cleveland Browns news
4 Burning Browns Questions, Including Who Should Call The Offensive Plays? — Spencer German, SI.com
"I'll maintain what I've been saying: Kevin Stefanski should retain play-calling going into 2024. All due respect to Ken Dorsey, but while his offenses did rank near the top of the league in certain categories with Buffalo, a deeper dive into his offense reveals some concerning discrepancies. His offense neglected tight ends, Bills running back James Cook got better after Dorsey left. So did star quarterback Josh Allen, partically as a runner."
German said it best. Stefanski has done a good job and even had this offense dropping 30 points with a quarterback nearing 40 years of age who was being protected by the team's fifth and sixth options at tackle. Oh, and they were without Nick Chubb, so defenses could take away the ground game at will. There's no reason for Stefanski to stop calling plays, but there are plenty of reasons to stop asking.
Browns Skipper Kevin Stefanski Fires Playful Shot at Former Coach — J.R. DeGroote, Heavy
“He’s going to work for Brian. I can’t wait for Brian to boss him around. The dream of every kid is to boss their parents around. Happy for those guys again. I think organizationally we realized that’s a unique situation and did not want to stand in the way of that. So excited for certainly Brian and Bill down there.”
Stefanski and the Browns were never going to keep Bill Callahan from joining his son's staff. But that doesn't mean they won't take a parting shot at him when the opportunity arises. Of course, it's all in good fun as the two sides have no animosity — nor should they.
4 Browns most likely to have their contracts restructured this spring — DPD
Cleveland isn't worried about the salary cap just yet but they will have to make a few moves to be able to operate this offseason. That's where these four players come in, as each of them can restructure their deals to create space.
5 low-risk, high-reward free agents Cleveland Browns can target — DPD
If the Browns wanted to make a few low-risk/high-reward signings, they will have some options. Here's a look at five players who could be looking for one-year deals to prove themselves in 2024 that Cleveland could roll the dice on.
Ken Dorsey eyes one primary fix as Browns offensive coordinator — DPD
During his press conference, Ken Dorsey said he's going to be focused on the offense as a whole. He added that there's a specific problem area he wants to address — which was an issue in Buffalo for him as well — turnovers. The Browns led the league in this category and if they're going to improve in 2024, that has to change.