The Cleveland Browns have wasted no time making changes to their coaching staff following one of their most disappointing seasons in recent history, a feat for a team used to terrible finishes. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the team has fired OC Ken Dorsey after one year with the team.
The Browns wrapped up a 3-14 season with a 35-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Saturday afternoon. Starting four quarterbacks this season, Cleveland finished dead last in points per game (15.2) on the season. Injuries did the team no favors and the trade for QB Deshaun Watson has become one of the worst in sports history. Now the team is hitting the reset button after a lost year.
It’s the second time in as many seasons Dorsey has been fired. In 2023, the Buffalo Bills canned him midway through the season, seeing their offense improve after turning over the keys to Joe Brady. Dorsey’s previous success with QB Josh Allen made him an attractive candidate to the Browns and his ties to the organization didn’t hurt. He played quarterback for Cleveland from 2006-2008 and the team tabbed Dorsey to be its coordinator in late January 2024.
Cleveland scored more than 30 points just once all season, putting up 32 in a loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 13. The Browns found some traction once QB Jameis Winston became the starter after Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tear. But Winston’s volatile play continued, throwing 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The team finished the year trying Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Bailey Zappe, who threw for one combined touchdown and eight interceptions.
While the Browns now have a vacancy, the play calling is likely to be assumed by head coach Kevin Stefanski. In October, he handed over play calling to Dorsey who was unable to improve results. Over Cleveland’s final five games, it failed to score more than 14 points.
Potentially finishing the season with the No. 1 pick, this is a classic scapegoat fire to satisfy ownership as Stefanski enters 2025 with his job possibly on the line. Firing Stefanski or GM Andrew Berry this year is doubtful to occur, but similar results next season would put both in the hot seat. Cleveland will hire an offensive coordinator at some point but it’ll be in name only with Stefanski grabbing control off the unit to try and right the ship. That will require sorting out a messy quarterback situation. The Browns will need to decide if they will draft one of the class’s top names, sign a veteran, or something else.
