The disappointment of Saturday’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans won’t go away anytime soon, but the Cleveland Browns have already quickly turned things around and made some key decisions ahead of the 2024 offseason.
The first of these came Wednesday when head coach Kevin Stefanski decided to fire offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and fire two of his offensive assistants:
running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach closer T.C. McCartney.
This suggests there will be other significant changes on offense in 2024, but the Browns still have many more decisions to make before this draft is over. We break down a few of them here.1.
Hire a new offensive coordinatorThis seems obvious after this week’s news.
Stefanski’s decision to move on from Van Pelt likely means the Browns will retool much of their offense — and that’s likely necessary for Watson to live up to expectations set for 2024 only after the Browns showed promise of becoming all-contenders.
‘AFC. in 2023.The Browns are entering their third year with Watson and continue to face questions about the level at which he can perform over an entire season.
He’s not ideal, but picking an offensive coordinator who can help him will be a crucial first step in avoiding the same inconsistencies that plagued him in his first dozen games in Cleveland.
Kevin Stefanski looks back on the 2023 season5 big decisions the Browns will evaluate this offseasonFrom coaching hires to contract decisions for key players, the Browns still have a long offseason to-do list for The disappointment following Saturday’s playoff loss to the Houston Texans won’t go away anytime soon, but the Cleveland Browns have quickly turned the page and made some key decisions to begin the 2024 offseason.
The first of these occurred Wednesday when coach Kevin Stefanski decided to fire offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and fire two of his offensive assistants: running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney.
That suggests there will be more big changes on offense in 2024, but the Browns have plenty more decisions to make until the draft is finalized. We highlight some of them here.1.
Hire a new offensive coordinatorThis seems obvious after this week’s news.
Stefanski’s decision to move on from Van Pelt likely means the Browns will retool much of their offense — and that’s likely necessary for Watson to live up to the expectations set for 2024 only after the Browns showed promise of becoming all-contenders. ‘AFC. in 2023.
The Browns are entering their third year with Watson and continue to face questions about the level at which he can perform over an entire season.
He’s not ideal, but picking an offensive coordinator who can help him will be a crucial first step in avoiding the same inconsistencies that plagued him in his first dozen games in Cleveland.2.
Decide on the attacking playerThe next immediate question that will come after Stefanski hires his offensive coordinator will be deciding who will make the decisions.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Stefanski may be willing to give up playcalling duties depending on who becomes the next OC.Stefanski has been the play-caller since he became head coach in 2020, so handing those duties to another coach would be a significant change, but he could help top offensive coordinator candidates looking for a play-calling job to lure Cleveland.
In an NFL landscape where young offensive minds are achieving more success and are in high demand, he could be an attractive — and necessary — option for Stefanski to offer.3.
Ask the recipient for helpWhether through free agency or the draft, the Browns need to find another pass catcher who can be consistently counted on to contribute as a top receiver.
Amari Cooper has been the only one to do this over the past two seasons, and while he may still remain an extremely productive receiver for years to come, he will turn 30 this summer, so adding young talent should be at the top of the rankings. list of priority list.
A breakout year from tight end David Njoku in 2023 certainly provided an uptick in the passing game, but no other receivers posed problems for opposing defenses.
