Kevin Stefanski Already Making Massive Mistake for 2024 Season
By Jovan Alford
![Dec 28, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski looks on from the sideline during the first half against the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Dec 28, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski looks on from the sideline during the first half against the New York Jets at Cleveland Browns Stadium.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_65/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/251/01j3qvtf4fj8rpxaxk5j.jpg)
The Cleveland Browns made drastic changes to their coaching staff earlier this year, parting ways with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, running backs coach Stump Mitchell, and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney.
It was a shocking move by the Browns, given that they were missing a few notable players on offense, and still won 11 games and made the playoffs. Cleveland ultimately replaced Van Pelt with former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
With Dorsey taking over as the offensive coordinator, fans thought he would call the plays this coming season. But it doesn’t seem like that will be the case as head coach Kevin Stefanksi made an interesting decision about the offense, which could backfire.
Browns News: Kevin Stefanski Will Be Playcaller on Offense
Stefanski told reporters at training camp on Thursday that he will call plays this season, which drew troubling responses from the fanbase.
Kevin Stefanski announces that he will call plays this season. pic.twitter.com/Shy8ZVNvii
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) July 25, 2024
Browns fans didn’t seem too excited about Stefanski keeping his play calling duties, which he’s held since becoming the head coach in 2020. The only time Stefanski didn’t handle play calling duties was the 2021 season when he had COVID.
Last season, the Browns’ offense was ranked 19th in passing (217.2 yards per game), 12th in rushing (118.6 yards per game), and 10th in scoring (23.3). Considering that Cleveland had a revolving door at quarterback and didn’t have Nick Chubb for most of the season, the Browns’ offense was better than expected, thanks to Stefanski and Van Pelt.
That being said, even with Stefanski keeping the play-calling duties, he made it clear that Dorsey will still play a major role in crafting the Browns’ offensive philosophy.
"“I want to reiterate, I feel really, really strongly about our entire offensive staff," Stefanski said (h/t Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal). "Ken Dorsey is going to be a huge, huge help to me, not just on game day, throughout the week. He has a huge influence on what we do offensively already, the things that we're implementing, things that he's putting together, the way he works with our offensive staff.”"
It will be interesting to see if the Browns’ offense looks any different than what we saw last year as if their key players can stay healthy, they could be a dark horse contender in the AFC.
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