One Week Removed From Wild Card Exit, The Browns Have Their Sights Set on 2024

The Cleveland Browns bowed out of the playoffs in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs but are already planning ahead for next fall

One week removed from an absolute beat down Cleveland took at the hands of the Houston Texans, the franchise is well on its way to making the changes necessary to make an even deeper push in 2024.

The first move that Kevin Stefanski and the staff made this past week was letting go of three members of the offensive staff: offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, running back coach Stump Mitchell, and tight end coach T.C. McCartney.

There has been much speculation as to why some of these moves were made which we won't dive into here. But, Stefanski's firing of Van Pelt lends itself to Stefanski going for a style change on the offensive side of the ball.

It is no secret that Stefanski has been the play-caller for Cleveland in his four years with the Browns but he may be on the verge of giving that job responsibility up.

While Cleveland's offense had so many injuries throughout the season and that side of the ball was playing with the majority of backups, it was obvious that the attack could use some updating. 

Who the Browns bring in to interview for the job will be telling as to what Stefanski is looking to do. One name that has already surfaced is Seahawks Offensive Line Coach Andy Dickerson. Dickerson helped turn the Seattle run game around for the two years that he was the run game coordinator. He was an assistant coach in Cleveland under Eric Mangini in 2009 and 2010.

Some other names that have been rumored to be targets for Cleveland are Rams' passing game coordinator Zac Robinson and 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Oct 31, 2022; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (24) carries the ball for a first down in the third quarter during an NFL Week 8 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare-USA TODAY Sports / © The Enquirer-USA TODAY Sports

Wherever Cleveland goes with this hire, it's likely that a decision will be made with quarterback Deshaun Watson in mind. 

With a healthy roster that Cleveland looks to bring back in 2024, plus the addition of some new faces and a fresh offensive-minded perspective, Cleveland has the makings of being even more of a force next year.