Dawgs By Nature
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski runs the offense. That’s his baby. Yet, last year the Browns’ offense was one of the league’s worst units, in fact, ranked dead last with a 71.4 passing rating plus the 29th-ranked rushing offense.
They were 20th in total passing yards (3,879), ninth in pass completions (395), 30th in passing touchdowns (19), the most interceptions thrown (23), 29th in rushing yards (1,608), 28th in rushing attempts, 31st in rushing touchdowns (8), and the second most sacks allowed (66).
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During this off-season, Stefanski offered modifications for 2025. Numerous personnel changes occurred, including several members of the coaching staff. The quarterback had to be addressed. So did the starting running back. The offensive line had way too many injuries. Defensive tackle was a sieve, and both starters, Shelby Harris and Mo Hurst, ended up on IR. Safety Juan Thornhill was shown the door. So was DT Dalvin Tomlinson and WR Elijah Moore. K Dustin Hopkins made 68.7% of field goal attempts, and his inconsistency followed him into this year’s preseason and was ultimately replaced.
As far as the tight end group, after David Njoku, this unit was abysmal.
Jordan Akins wasn’t re-signed since his production was pedestrian over a two-year span. Brendan Bates (6’-5”, 255 pounds) was an undrafted rookie after spending time on the Chicago Bears and New York Jets practice squads and played sparingly with only one target and zero receptions. Blake Whiteheart (6’-4”, 250 pounds) went undrafted the year before and came to Cleveland from the Arizona Cardinals, but participated in 11 games with six receptions.
When Stefanski arrived in Cleveland, the offensive scheme highlighted two tight end sets. It was explained that Stefanski utilized a double-tight end system frequently. It helped the running game, especially if both tight ends were good blockers, and set up the middle zones for short passes that required linebacker coverage, of which a tight end had a size advantage.
And the first few years, the offense had a very good running attack. RB Nick Chubb was always in the Top-5 running backs in the league statistic-wise. During the 2022 season, he was the league rushing leader for four consecutive weeks.
But inconsistency at the quarterback position killed this offense. Deshaun Watson never played like his three-time Pro Bowl self and missed a lot of games due to injuries. This meant a new guy had to take over with a different style and skill set that the offense had to adjust to.
In 2023, the Browns used five starting quarterbacks and tied an NFL record held by the 1987 New England Patriots. In 2024, the Browns set another record by starting four quarterbacks, thus having the most starting QBs in two years with nine.
Rolling into 2025, the quarterback room may or may not be solved. But the tight end room has improved. The beauty of this year’s effort is the fact that the position coach in...
