What Are The Browns Getting In New Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey?

Bills sideline reporter Sal Capaccio, of WGR 550 in Buffalo helps provide some background on who ex-Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey really is and what he could bring to the Browns' offense

A lot has been said about new Browns' offensve coordinator Ken Dorsey, who – according to reports – was selected over the weekend to fill the key vacancy on Cleveland's staff.

Dorsey is an interesting hire. His offenses in Buffalo the last couple year's put up some top five numbers by some metrics and he seemed to have the utmost support from star quarterback Josh Allen. None of that could save him from being fired midway through the season after the Bills fell to 5-5 on in Week 10. 

So what happened? Why did Bills head coach Sean McDermott feel the need to make a change? What does Dorsey bring to the table as he gets a fresh start in Cleveland?

Bills beat and sideline reporter, Sal Capaccio from WGR 550 in Buffalo helps provide Browns fans with some context as to who Dorsey really is. 

1) It's still unclear if Kevin Stefanski will retain play-calling with Ken Dorsey. Whether or not Dorsey calls the plays, what mindset does he bring to an offense? 

SAL: His mindset is one of “we are going to do what we do and they need to stop us.” He was on-board with running a lot of 12-personnel and creating mis-matches with players and formations.

2) What were Dorsey's strengths as an OC? What were some of his shortcomings?

His strength in Buffalo was finding ways to get different players involved in the offense either as pass-catchers or running the ball. His shortcoming was not having enough specific game-plan stuff against defenses and also having too much installed and to work on instead of trimming down and focusing and simplifying.

Jul 27, 2022; Pittsford, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey talks with quarterback Josh Allen (17) during training camp at St. John Fisher University / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

3) There are numerous stats that show Dorsey's offenses in 2022 and 2023 were top 5 in the league, so what went wrong or wasn't working that ultimately led to his firing? Was he a scapegoat?

The overall stats were similar, but it became much more of a struggle to move the ball and score points. In 2023, from weeks 5-10 the Bills didn’t once score over 25 points and averaged 20.5 points per game. In his 10 games as OC in 2023, the Bills offense turned the ball over 17 times. After he was fired they turned it over 9 times in 7 games. 

I hate hearing the term “scapegoat” because that would imply it wasn’t justified. It wasn’t horrible by any means, but there were clearly things that needed to change. Also, Sean McDermott wasn’t going to be fired. So by firing a coordinator he trying to save his own job. That would be trying to find a scapegoat.

4) Kevin Stefanski shook up his coaching staff last offseason hiring Jim Schwartz as DC and his personality really changed the attitude of the team this year. From a personality standpoint what are the Browms getting in Dorsey?

He’s a very low-key person. Knowing Jim Schwartz from being here in Buffalo, and watching him from afar, Dorsey is pretty much the opposite type of personality. That said, he’s extremely competitive. He’s a very hard worker who is very serious. When McDermott made the change, he mentioned the word “energy” several times. He felt the offense needed more energy and got that from Joe Brady.

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5) Based on Dorsey's work with Josh Allen, who obviously advocated for him, and even Cam Newton before that, what should Browns fans expect in terms of how he'll coach/utilize Deshaun Watson?

Fans and media in Buffalo had been getting very frustrated with the lack of utilization of Josh Allen’s legs. There was definitely a thought in the organization that they did not want to use him as a runner as often as he was in the past in order to keep him healthy for the season and long-term, but it got to the point where it was hurting the offense not using Allan running enough. I often wondered if Dorsey himself was not utilizing Josh that way because he knew he needed him and didn’t want to risk it. After Brady took over, Allen used his legs a lot more, and the results were really favorable.