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Brownie Breakdowns No. 1 Play from Browns 2023 Season
Kevin Stefanski Still Reportedly Mulling Who Will Handle Play-Calling For Browns
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator but whether or not head coach Kevin Stefanski will retain play-calling responsibilities or hand them off to Ken Dorsey is still up in the aire
SPENCER GERMANFEB 1, 2024 10:21 AM EST
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With Ken Dorsey joining the Browns staff as offensive coordinator, head coach Kevin Stefanski has a decision to make ahead of the 2024 season.
During his four years at the helm, calling the offensive plays has been his responsibility and his alone. After shaking up his offensive staff though by parting ways with former OC Alex Van Pelt and going in a different direction by hiring Dorsey, giving up play-calling responsibilities is still on the table.
According to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, Stefanski is weighing both options and will continue to do so for several months as the duo puts their heads together during the offseason. Stefanski has said before that he’d be willing to pass off the play-calling if there was someone he trusted to do it better than him on staff. He’ll spent this offseason determining if Dorsey is that person.
Cabot also noted that the Browns seem to believe that Dorsey wound up being a sacrificial lamb for the Bills this season when things weren’t going so great. Buffalo lost three of four and dropped to 5-5 heading into Week 10 when head coach Sean McDermott decided to dismiss the ex-Browns QB.
Under Dorsey, the Bills offense ranked second in points per game at a clip of 28.4. His unit was third in expected points added at a clip of .117. Those metric don’t tell the entire story though. From Weeks 5-10 – a stretch where Buffalo lost four games, the offense only scored over 25 points once. Turnovers were also a problem as Buffalo ranked ninth in giveaways per game through the first 10 weeks of the season, having coughed the football up 17 times. Over the final seven games the Bills committed just nine turnovers.
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For what it’s worth, Dorsey took the job with the Browns understanding that he may not end up being the primary play-caller. It appears though that it’s still an option that will play itself out in the months ahead as he gets acclimated to the organization and, more importantly, Stefanski.
BY SPENCER GERMAN
Spencer German is a contributor to the Northeast Ohio cluster of sites, including Cavs Insider, Cleveland Baseball Insider and most notably Browns Digest. He also works as a fill-in host on Cleveland Sports Radio, 92.3 The Fan, one of the Browns radio affiliate stations in Cleveland.
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cleveland.com
Kevin Stefanski still deciding if he or new OC Ken Dorsey will call plays; Kareem Hunt has surgery: Browns takeaways
Updated: Jan. 31, 2024, 8:16 p.m.|Published: Jan. 31, 2024, 6:53 p.m.
Ken Dorsey
Will Ken Dorsey call plays.(AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
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By Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kevin Stefanski is still deciding if he’ll call the plays this season or turn the chore over to new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who called them the past two seasons in Buffalo.
Dorsey, who took the fall in November for the Bills’ 5-5 record and was fired by coach Sean McDermott, presided over two of the most prolific offenses in the NFL the past two seasons, and helped turn Josh Allen into a two-time Pro Bowler and runner-up for NFL MVP.
In 2022, the Bills ranked second in both total offense (397.6 YPG) and points per game (28.4). In 2023, with Dorsey as coordinator the first 10 games, the Bills finished the season fourth in total offense, eighth in passing and sixth in points per game. When Dorsey was fired, Allen led the league in interceptions with 11, but also in touchdown passes with 19. In the final seven games, he threw 10 TD passes and seven INTs, roughly the same clip.
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The Browns believe Dorsey was the scapegoat for the Bills’ woes, and Stefanski wouldn’t have any qualms about letting him call plays.
But he’ll likely take the next few months to mull it over, see how the two work together and determine who’s best suited for the chore. The key with the Browns more so than the actual play-calling is preparation and game-planning in the new-look offense. If they get that right, game day should be a breeze, and the actual voice in Deshaun Watson’s ear won’t matter as much.
But Watson, who went 5-1 in 2023 including his one quarter in the victory over the Colts, has also expressed that he doesn’t like scripted plays, and that must be addressed in some way. He did put only one first-drive touchdown on the board in his six starts compared to 4 of 5 for Joe Flacco in his starts, in which he went 4-1.
Stefanski will have a completely overhauled offensive staff, and might want to retain play-calling duties during what promises to be a transition phase. But he’d also feel comfortable letting Dorsey take it over thanks to his extensive background in the spread, RPO and dropback realms.
Like the other four OC candidates, Dorsey didn’t require play-calling as a stipulation for taking the job.
Kareem Hunt had sports hernia surgery
Kareem Hunt gutted it out through a groin injury down the stretch, and underwent sports hernia surgery this week to repair a ruptured adductor.
Leading the Browns with nine rushing touchdowns during the regular season and scoring both TDs in the 45-14 wild card loss to the Texans, Hunt appeared on the injury report the final six games of the season with a groin injury, but answered the bell every week, and didn’t miss a game.
But he didn’t touch the ball nearly as much in those final six games, and the injury was probably a huge factor. His average per rush also dipped to 2.5 yards in that span. But he never lost his nose for the end zone, rushing for four TDs in his final five outings, and scoring on a run and a pass in the wild card loss.
Hunt, who also underwent sports hernia surgery in 2019, should be recovered enough to participate on a limited basis in the offseason program, which begins in April. The question is, will he have a team by then? A free agent in March, Hunt will hit the market and likely find a new home for 2024. But no one made him the right offer last season until the Browns called after Week 2 when Nick Chubb went down with his knee injury.
“I’m definitely going to test free agency and see what the right option is for me or what’s best for me and my family and everything,” Hunt said on locker clean-out day. “But for the most part, this is always home for me. It’s Cleveland until I die, so I’m going to have a special place in my heart for them.”
Hunt, 28, was a huge part of helping the Browns clinch only their third playoff berth since 1999, and was grateful to be part of the last two. His only regret is that he wasn’t able to win a Super Bowl for Cleveland.
“It’s my ultimate hope no matter what, even if I’m playing for another team or anything, I would always be happy and satisfied if they bring a championship to Cleveland, it’s my hometown,” he said. “Shoot, I’d probably be at the parade cheering them on too, if that were to happen. I wish nothing but the best for the organization and the Cleveland Browns and I’m happy that I got to be a part of this journey for so long.”
Browns assistant gets a big-time interview
Browns cornerbacks coach Brandon Lynch interviewed Tuesday for the Titans defensive coordinator position under new head coach Brian Callahan, the former Bengals offensive coordinator.
It’s a testament to how well the Browns have developed their good young coaches such as Lynch, who helped the pass defense climb to No. 1 in the NFL this season.
Cornerbacks such as Denzel Ward, Greg Newsome II and Martin Emerson Jr. loved playing for Lynch, and flourished under his guidance. He also helped fifth-round pick Cam Mitchell play a key role, starting three of his 13 games.
If the Browns lose Lynch, they’ll have to find someone really good to replace him. They’ve already had one change on the defensive staff this offseason, with former Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire replacing Ben Bloom in that role here. Bloom’s new role is still to be determined.
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