The 2025 Cleveland Browns should've been quietly investigated for putting their fans through cruel and unusual punishment. Their offensive attack mirrored peewee football, as they limped to the 31st-ranked scoring offense with the 30th-most yards.
Still, the offense was a considerable step up from special teams, where weekly blunders were commonplace.
The special teams coordinator for the Browns was Bubba Ventrone, a former special teams standout who spent his eight-year NFL playing career shuffling between the New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers. For whatever reason, Cleveland never could right the ship in that department.
When the Browns opted to move on from head coach Kevin Stefanski, he landed on his feet with the Atlanta Falcons in the same role. It's perhaps telling that he brought Tommy Rees with him, his Cleveland offensive coordinator and co-architect of the Browns' pitiful attack. He also reunited with assistants from his past, including Bill Callahan and Alex Van Pelt.
Notably absent from the coaches' reunion was Ventrone.
The Rams ignored Bubba Ventrone's troubling 2025 season in Cleveland, and now they're paying for it
Fans let out a hearty belly laugh when Rams head coach Sean McVay hired Ventrone and his Cleveland assistant, Kyle Hoke, to the same roles out West. He obviously talked up the duo, though their track record was spotty, at best.
Now, fans in Los Angeles are seeing precisely what Browns fans were warning them about.
Statistic | Cleveland Browns (2025) | Los Angeles Rams (2026) |
|---|---|---|
Yards per Punt Return | 7.3 (T-25th) | 9.0 (T-22nd) |
Yards per Kick Return | 23.7 (31st) | 23.7 (29th) |
Field Goal % | 88.9% (10th) | 55.6% (32nd) |
Yards per Punt | 44.8 (27th) | 47.4 (20th) |
Punt Touchback % | 11.8% (29th) | 6.3% (T-16th) |
Punt Downed Inside 20 % | 24.7% (32nd) | 37.5% (19th) |
Yards per Punt Return Allowed | 12.7 (26th) | 14.3 (30th) |
Yards per Kick Return Allowed | 27.8 (28th) | 28.5 (26th) |
Moreover, the Browns tied for the most punts blocked on the year (two) and gave up a league-leading three kick/punt return touchdowns. As discussed in this summer's piece, their advanced metrics such as DVOA were also abysmal. Fast forward to 2026, and the Rams are suffering a similar fate.
On Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles kicker Harrison Mevis shanked a critical field goal in regulation and had a second kick blocked in overtime. Had he converted the second one, the Rams would be sitting at 3-2 instead of with a losing record after five games.
As far as the Browns go, Ventrone's replacement, Byron Storer, has seen at least a modest turnaround in almost every category.
2026 Browns' Special Teams Rankings
Yards per Punt Return: 6.8 (27th)
Yards per Kick Return: 27.8 (4th)
Field Goal %: 100% (T-1st)
Yards per Punt: 51.8 (2nd)
Punt Touchback %: 8.3% (T-22nd)
Punt Downed Inside 20 %: 33.3% (T-23rd)
Yards per Punt Return Allowed: 10.9 (21st)
Yards per Kick Return Allowed: 25.9 (T-18th)
It's nice to be on the right side of history for a change.
For far too long, every time the Browns move on from someone, folks are quick to point out the "Cleveland-handicap," as if a coach or player should be expected to perform worse simply because they're with the Browns.
It's nothing personal against Ventrone, either, though it's admittedly hard to argue when the eye test is backed up by cold, hard stats.
While Storer has seen some improvements under his watch, it's fair to expect more. As the young Cleveland Browns continue to mature, the turnaround should only continue.
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