Former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel joined the Browns in a consultant role, but his status for the season wasn’t fully known. Vrabel was a surprise firing by the Titans this offseason, and the former Coach of the Year joined Cleveland, a decision likely made easier by the fact he’s from the area. On The Rich Eisen Show, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Vrabel will be with the Browns throughout the season and potentially on the sideline.
“What doesn’t he do? You should see him, he’s soaking wet after every practice ’cause he’s running the scout team, he’s the middle linebacker, he’s the heart of the defense for the scout team. He’s helping out special teams, he’s an asset for me,” Stefanski said.
Eisen then asked if Vrabel will work with the Browns throughout the season.
“Yup,” Stefanski said. “He’ll be here, I told [Vrabel] we’ll take as much as you want to give us, you want to give us one hour a week or 100, that’s your call. So we’re working through it because I’m mindful of stealing him away from his family as well, but he’ll be up here this fall, yes.”
Eisen also asked if Vrabel would be on the sideline when he asked if he would work throughout the season, but Stefanski didn’t directly address whether or not he would be. If he is, that gives the Browns another set of eyes and someone who was a really good head coach on the sideline, and it could pose an advantage. Cleveland’s defense was one of the best in the NFL last season, and Vrabel, a former outside linebacker who began his career with the Steelers, can help elevate the defense even further.
It was a sound hiring by the Browns, and it sounds like Vrabel is embracing his role as a consultant. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him return to a sideline in a bigger role in 2025, and it was honestly a bit surprising he didn’t get another shot as a head coach this season. But that’s Cleveland’s gain, and even if Vrabel doesn’t work as much during the season, he’s still going to be an asset to Stefanski and the Browns this season, and if Cleveland has success, that will elevate Vrabel as a potential head coaching candidate even further.
Stefanski is coming off a season where he won his second Coach of the Year award, and adding Vrabel to the staff gives him someone else he can bounce ideas off of, especially now that they aren’t conference rivals. It’ll be interesting to see how the partnership works and how long Vrabel ends up staying in Cleveland.
