Just one week after rearranging a few coaching positions, the Cleveland Browns are currently in the process of hiring an offensive coordinator. As part of their due diligence, the team is interviewing a number of applicants; one of them was a player for the team in the past and is currently one of their prospective coaches. On paper, Ken Dorsey seems like the best option for the Browns to take over as their new offensive coordinator.
Three years after recording his final NFL play, Dorsey started his coaching career in 2011. Ron Rivera, the former head coach of the Carolina Panthers, hired Dorsey as a squad scout, and he joined him. He was elevated to the job of quarterbacks coach two years later, and he remained in that capacity until Rivera fired him and their offensive coordinator, Mike Shula, following the 2017 campaign.
Dorsey was appointed as the quarterbacks coach by the Buffalo Bills in 2019, so it wouldn’t be long before he was back in the NFL. After Brian Dabol departed the organization to become the head coach of the New York Giants, Dorsey was moved to offensive coordinator in 2021 and eventually gained greater responsibility with the squad. Ten games into this season, the Bills finally let him go after he had been their offensive coordinator for a year and a half.
Now, Dorsey would meet two needs if he was brought in by the Browns. Alex Van Pelt, the former offensive coordinator, had a close relationship with the quarterbacks and served as the quarterback coach throughout some seasons. Deshaun Watson’s style of play would also mesh nicely with Dorsey’s, who has exclusively coached mobile quarterbacks in the NFL—Josh Allen, of course, and Cam Newton. It’s important to remember that Dorsey was their quarterback coach during Cam Newton’s MVP campaign and Josh Allen’s growth from his sophomore year in Buffalo.
But Dorsey is more than simply a QB whiz—he can design a respectable and effective offence. His offence finished second in the NFL in terms of points, total yards, pass touchdowns, and fewest turnovers among all NFL offences in 2022, his first season as a play-caller. Even though his offence didn’t get nearly as many yards as it had the year before with Brian Dabol, it was still gaining more yards per play on fewer attempts.
The fact that the Bills let go of Dorsey midway through the season is the main reason fans are becoming increasingly concerned about him. Changes are frequently made when a team performs poorly and experiences a losing run. During Dorsey’s ten weeks on the team this year, the offence turned the ball over eighteen times.
If you were to dig deeper, you would find that 14 of those were caused by quarterback Josh Allen, who also had five fumbles and nine interceptions. Even if Dorsey shouldn’t get all the credit, when the quarterback hands the ball over 14 times in ten games, a play caller can only do so much.
Even with Dorsey’s dismissal now acknowledged, the offensive averages for the Bills in those ten games are higher than the Browns’ for the whole previous campaign. Despite missing the Browns’ last regular-season game, the Bills’ offence performed better in those 10 games because the great majority of their starters were rested. During the course of those ten games, the Bills averaged three extra points, thirty extra yards, and nearly half as many turnovers per game. So even if the Browns acquired the awful version of Dorsey’s offensive, it would be an upgrade from their 2023 season.
Cleveland will take its time in its pursuit of a new coach overall. They will interview several applicants, each with a distinct offensive scheme and style of play, just like they did with the interviews for the defensive coordinator position last year.
They have interviewed three coaches for the job so far, including Dorsey, and it wouldn’t be shocking if a fourth interview was set for the near future. Ken Dorsey is now the top applicant for the available offensive coordinator post with the Browns because of his background working with mobile quarterbacks and his extensive offensive output history.
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