Coaching staffs around the NFL have undergone a plethora of changes this offseason, and Kevin Stefanski's squad isn't an exception.
After going 3-14 during the 2024 campaign, the Cleveland Browns decided to shake things up in recent weeks, replacing a handful of underperformers with fresh faces. Not everyone on Stefanski's 2025 staff is a newcomer, though, including one recently promoted coach who shouldn't have been retained in the first place.
Browns Shouldn't Have Retained Bill Musgrave This Offseason
Bill Musgrave is one member of last year's Browns staff who Stefanski decided to keep around this offseason. The 57-year-old spent the 2023 and 2024 campaigns as a senior offensive assistant in Cleveland before being promoted to quarterbacks coach last month.
Having said that, retaining Musgrave might end up backfiring in Stefanski's face.
On one hand, the Browns' decision to promote the Grand Junction, CO native somewhat makes sense. Musgrave has nearly 30 years of coaching experience running through his veins, which includes being an offensive coordinator and QBs coach for various NFL franchises and collegiate programs, helping develop names like Matt Ryan and Derek Carr.
On the other hand, it can be argued that Musgrave didn't deserve the promotion.
The Browns haven't had much offensive success since Musgrave's arrival, finishing the 2023 and 2024 campaigns with the NFL's 28th- and 32nd-graded offenses, respectively, according to Pro Football Focus. Even if he isn't fully responsible for that horrid performance, it isn't as if he exactly helped with those struggles either.
The Browns could've used a fresh start after boasting one of the league's worst offenses in back-to-back seasons. Instead, it's business as usual by retaining Musgrave, who now gets to work with the franchise's next No. 1 signal-caller — whether that's a returning Deshaun Watson or one of the 2025 NFL draft's highly touted prospects.
If Musgrave shows that he hasn't learned anything throughout the last few years and the struggles under center persist, the future of the Browns' QB room will continue looking bleak. Hopefully, that isn't the case and Stefanski made the right call to promote him.
Browns fans will have a better idea of how Musgrave meshes with the team's QBs when the first offseason workouts are held in April.