Tuesday morning brought several major changes to the Cleveland Browns coaching staff that should have major ramifications on their offense in 2024.
The Browns endured a lot on the offensive side of the ball this past season. It all started when Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending — and possibly career-altering — knee injury in Week 2. Quarterback Deshaun Watson battled early season struggles and injuries, and it took the organization sometime before they found an adequate replacement when he was forced out for the remainder of the year due to a shoulder injury.
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Nevertheless, the offense battled back late in the season as they rallied around the addition of journeyman QB Joe Flacco and they roared into the NFL Playoffs behind his surprisingly strong play to end the season.
However, Flacco was disastrous in their Wild Card Round loss to the Houston Texans, and it seems that performance from him and the rest of the unit was the last straw for the organization’s front office.
Cleveland Browns fire offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt
On Tuesday morning, CBS Sports NFL insider Josina Anderson reported “The Browns have fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, running backs coach Stump Mitchell, and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney, per source.”
Van Pelt’s firing is major since he has been the leader of the Browns offense since Kevin Stefanski was hired as the team’s head coach in 2020. The duo’s first season with the team, and this past year, was the only season that Cleveland finished with a record over .500 during that time — both were 11-win campaigns.
There had been a great deal of speculation that Stefanski’s job could be on the line as the Cleveland Browns seemed headed to another losing season in 2023. However, winning four of their last five and doing so with Flacco quieted the speculation to end the year.
Yet, Van Pelt’s — and Mitchell and McCartney’s — firings are a clear sign the organization was still not satisfied with the team’s play on offense the last few seasons. And the horror show that was their 45-14 loss to the Texans, which included two pick-sixes, likely forced the major moves on Tuesday.