Kevin Stefanski is excited about injecting new ideas into the Browns' offense brought by new assistant coaches. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Takeaways from Day 2 at NFL Combine …
How excited is Kevin Stefanski about having new coordinator Ken Dorsey “put this offense back together?”
The Browns’ head coach is personally escorting Dorsey to meet Watson next week in Los Angeles. That’s where Watson has been rehabbing from surgery on November 21 to repair a displaced fracture of the glenoid on his right shoulder.
“Yeah, he's coming along,” Stefanski said from the Combine media room podium. “I know he is going to start throwing here shortly. He's hitting all of his milestones. Ken and I are going to go out and see him next week and spend some time … not talk football, just catch up. Won't see him throw, but just want to check in on him. But I text him almost every day so he's in a good place.”
Stefanski said earlier this month that he chose Dorsey to “lead the charge” in “putting this offense back together.” He reiterated Wednesday that Dorsey was the right choice because of his experience working with dual-threat quarterbacks and also in a variety of offensive systems.
Like Alex Van Pelt, Stefanski’s coordinator the past four seasons, Dorsey will lead the offensive meetings. Stefanski said Dorsey “has done a great job with the new coaches.” Those are Duce Staley (running backs), Andy Dickerson and Roy Istvan (offensive line) and Tommy Rees (tight ends and pass game specialist).
Stefanski declined, again, to answer whether Dorsey will take over play-calling duties or if Stefanski will continue that task on game days.
“Looking at the offense, putting it back together, I don't know if that decision's important right this minute, so I'll let you know as soon as I've made a decision,” Stefanski said.
As to the changes Dorsey and the new coaches will bring to the offense, Stefanski said, “I think we're working through all of that. I think that'll be really more evident over time.
“I would tell you just from my experience in the offensive staff room over the last few weeks, again, to have different ideas, not just from Ken, but from all of our new coaches and our current coaches. I think these are the really fun times for us as we put things back together and as silly as it may sound, just changing maybe terminology or changing aiming points or changing a technique. Those are all things that we're looking at and trying to figure out what's the best way to move forward. Less so of here's how we've always done it (but rather) what's the best way to move forward?”
NFLPA survey downgrades Browns
The second annual NFLPA report card on all 32 teams was unkind to the Browns.
The Browns’ overall ranking, comprised from 11 categories, slipped to 23rd from 21st last year.
Their worst grade was a D-minus (26th overall) in the category of treatment of families. Players cited the fact the Browns are one of 12 teams that do not provide a family room at the stadium.
The best grade was a B-plus given to the strength coaches, although they slipped from an A-plus last year to rank 19th this year.
Two new categories were head coach and ownership.
Kevin Stefanski received a B-minus (28th overall). “Only 70 percent of players feel that … Stefanski is efficient with their time,” survey said.
Jimmy Haslam received a B (17th overall) for “his willingness to invest in the facilities.”
A recurring complaint about the Browns was that their weight room has been a temporary one in the end zone of their indoor field since the COVID season of 2020.
To which Stefanski noted, “I'm happy to tell you guys, we're building a new weight room, so we know that that's an area that we want to get better.”
Responses like that are what the NFLPA wants to come out of these report cards. But I asked JC Tretter, NFLPA president and former Browns center, to explain how a two-time coach-of-the-year can be ranked 29th overall?
“This is a workplace survey, so this has nothing to do with wins and losses,” Tretter said. “I think you’ll see by Kansas City being 31st [overall] doesn’t have anything to do with winning and losing. This is about treatment in the facilities.
“So head coach grades look at efficiency with players’ time, whether they’re willing to collaborate with players and have an open dialogue. Things like that are put in the coaching grade. It’s not how great a football mind, [or] are they going to win games. That’s not included. We try to keep this solely a workplace study.”
I asked Stefanski if he’d rather receive an A on his NFLPA report card or win coach of the year?
“No comment,” he answered.
Brownie bits
Incidentally, don’t expect one of the changes in the Browns’ offense to be less running from Watson to avoid more injuries. “Deshaun has always been very mobile. He will always continue to be very mobile,” Stefanski said. He added that they will try to coach up Watson on being smart to avoid injury. But the threat of Watson running is what makes him effective at his best …
The Browns converted Denzel Ward’s guaranteed salary of $15.324 million into a base salary of $1.125 million + a cash bonus of 14.2 million. It reduced Ward’s cap number and created $11.36 million of salary cap room. There will be other players who benefit from this procedure so the Browns get to the salary cap number GM Andrew Berry has budgeted for 2024 expenditures …
Stefanski was gung-ho about returning to The Greenbrier in West Virginia for the start of training camp as soon as he left the resort last summer. “I thought we got our work done. Whatever we did in terms the players being around each other I felt was a positive. It’s a beautiful environment, they treated us great down there. So I felt pretty strongly shortly thereafter we left there that it’d be a good thing to return,” he said.