New Browns special teams coordinator Byron Storer quickly moved into coaching when his playing career as a fullback ended prematurely with a knee injury in 2008. He was assistant special teams coach with the Packers the last three years.
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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.
Todd Monken has chosen his special teams coordinator and is closing in on a defensive coordinator in hopes of completing his Browns coaching staff by the end of the week.
Former Green Bay assistant special teams coach Byron Storer is the man Monken selected to replace Bubba Ventrone, who was hired by the Rams despite a very rocky last two seasons with the Browns.
Storer, 41, was a fullback and special teams player with the Buccaneers before an ACL injury prematurely ended his playing career in 2008 at the age of 24. After a year on injured reserve, he moved into coaching as Bucs assistant special teams coach. He has held the same title with the Chargers, Raiders and Packers.
Also, a source confirmed that Duce Staley will be staying on as Browns running backs coach.
Monken has interviewed seven candidates for defensive coordinator. When he settles on the replacement for estranged coordinator Jim Schwartz, Monken is expected to retain most of the defensive assistants who worked with Schwartz.
Monken’s hires on the offensive side won’t officially be announced by the club until the entire staff is completed.
So far, Monken has hired:
* Travis Switzer, 33, offensive coordinator.
Switzer, who played center at Akron, has spent his entire coaching career with the Baltimore Ravens, moving up from administrative assistant in 2017 to run game coordinator the last two years.
* George Warhop, 64, offensive line coach.
Warhop returns for a second stint coaching the Browns’ offensive line. He filled that role under head coaches Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmur and Rob Chudzinski from 2009-13. Since 1996, Warhop has coached the lines of the Rams, Cardinals, Cowboys, 49ers, Buccaneers, Jaguars, Texans, and the Ravens the last two years.
* Danny Breyer, 35, pass game coordinator.
Another Akron Zip alum and Ravens defector, Breyer was an offensive assistant in Baltimore the last three years and worked last season with tight ends. He previously held entry-level positions with the Dolphins, Buccaneers and Falcons.
* Mike Bajakian, 51, quarterbacks coach.
Bajakian agreed to leave Michigan State, where he had been hired as QB coach by new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, to rejoin Monken. Bajakian was Buccaneers quarterbacks coach from 2016-18 when Monken was Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator. Bajakian has been offensive coordinator with six college teams – Central Michigan, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Boston College, Northwestern and Utah.
* Christian Jones, 58, wide receivers coach.
Jones joined the Browns last year as tight ends coach after Tommy Rees was promoted to offensive coordinator. He’s been assistant receivers coach with the Vikings and assistant quarterbacks coach with the Giants.
* Jeff Blasko, 42, tight ends coach.
Blasko was Jets tight ends coach last year. He was Browns assistant offensive line coach in 2019 when Monken was offensive coordinator. He’s also been with the Cowboys and Packers.
* Bobby Johnson, 52, assistant offensive line coach.
An Akron native who began his coaching career with the Zips, Johnson was offensive line coach of the Commanders the past two seasons. He has also served stints with the Giants, Bills, Colts, Raiders, Lions and Jaguars.
* Daniel Stern, 31, associate head coach.
After serving as John Harbaugh’s key game management analyst in the coach’s booth, and doubling as assistant quarterback coach, Stern opted to follow Monken to Cleveland rather than rejoin Harbaugh in New York. He’s a graduate of Yale University who has been credited with advising Harbaugh on situational football, NFL rules and officiating, and coaches challenges.
* Ian Kolste, 31, offensive quality control.
The fifth member of the Ravens to defect to Monken’s staff, Kolste, a former Division III quarterback at Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, was an offensive analyst the past two years in Baltimore.