4 Burning Browns Questions, Including Who Should Call The Offensive Plays?

As Super Bowl Week commences, the Browns have officially filled most of their vacant assistant coaching staff positions and will soon be shifting their attention to the NFL Combine and free agency. Here are some burning questions facing the franchise.

The Browns offseason rolls into Super Bowl week as new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey met with the media for the first time on Monday. Plenty of questions loom large from play-calling to the Browns biggest needs with free agency fast approaching. Each week we'll answer the burning questions that face the franchise as they build for 2024. Let's tackle four right now!

Browns OC Ken Dorsey Relishing Opportunity To Restore "Coachable" Deshaun Watson

Who should call the offensive plays for Cleveland in 2024?

I'll maintain what I've been saying: Kevin Stefanski should retain play-calling going into 2024. All due respect to Ken Dorsey, but while his offenses did rank near the top of the league in certain categories with Buffalo, a deeper dive into his offense reveals some concerning discrepancies. His offense neglected tight ends, Bills running back James Cook got better after Dorsey left. So did star quarterback Josh Allen, partically as a runner.

I think Dorsey will bring some great perspective into offensive meetings on getting more out of quarterback Deshaun Watson, but as far as I'm concerned that's where his role should begin and end. It's a devil that you know situation. Stefanski has proven he's a great play-caller in this league, his colleagues in Berea continue to say it's one of his greatest strengths. Why give it up then?

What's the biggest offseason need for the Browns?

There's a couple different options here. The organization may believe it's defensive line related with so many guys from last year's group set to hit free agency. Personally, I think it's wide receiver. The Elijah Moore experiment just didn't quite come to fruition last year. He can still have a role in this offense, but it just feels like Cleveland needs to prioritize adding another weapon outside for Watson behind Amari Cooper. Plus, Cooper is entering his age 30 season, on the final year of his deal. It may make sense to bring someone in who can take the No. 1 wide receiver mantle at some point.

Could the Browns go into next season without restructuring Deshaun Watson's contract?

This question comes from a conversation Browns GM Andrew Berry had with Zac Jackson of the Athletic at the Senior Bowl over the weekend. Berry suggested that it's "not a necessity" to restructure Watson's deal and push more money into voided years on the back end of the deal. Berry could certainly find other ways to move money around and free up the cap space they need to make key moves and hopefully roll some over into next offseason. That said, I'd find it highly unlikely he won't also do that with Watson's contract.

The Browns QB is on the books for over $63 million next year. That's higher than the cap hits of Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen in 2024. Now, what's interesting is that the Browns are entering dangerous territory with Watson's deal in that they surely envisioned him being here beyond the initial five years when they added voided years to it initially. That may still be the case, but if he doesn't turn the corner next season Cleveland could be faced with a tough asking tough questions about how long they want to be invested in Watson. With that in mind it may make sense to try to eat as much of his cap hit this season to avoid even larger hits in years he may no longer be with the team.

Kevin Stefanski Not Ready To Name A Primary Play-Caller For Browns

Who are some players from the Senior Bowl that the Browns may be interested in?

A couple names come to mind just based on needs the Browns have and tendencies from previous years under Berry. One is a someone Cleveland fans should be plenty familiar with in Ohio State DT Mike Hall Jr. Given that Berry seems to always look to add depth along the defensive line and Hall could end up as a day two guy, there could be a natural fit there. Another position Berry always seems to target is defensive back, especially corners so I think Johnny Dixon from Penn State could make some sense in one of the middle rounds. BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia could also be of interest to the Browns although they may have to trade up to get him. This tackle class is stacked and if Suamataia isn't a first round pick he's likely to go early in the second round.