Getty Images Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski took a playful shot at his former offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns didn’t want to stand in the way of a family reunion.
Earlier this offseason the Browns allowed highly-touted offensive line coach Bill Callahan to join his son Brian’s staff with the Tennessee Titans. The usually stoic Stefanski joked that he’s looking forward to seeing the father-son dynamic plays out.
“Bill Callahan, very unique situation there — to go work for Brian, not with Brian,” Stefanski said on February 5. “He’s going to work for Brian. I can’t wait for Brian to boss him around. The dream of every kid is to boss their parents around. Happy for those guys again. I think organizationally we realized that’s a unique situation and did not want to stand in the way of that. So excited for certainly Brian and Bill down there.”
Bill Callahan is 67 years old and is one of the best position coaches in the business. He’s been a head coach both at the college and NFL levels and is highly regarded for his ability to get the most out of his big guys up front.
Callahan’s departure is part of a significant shakeup on the offensive side of the ball for the Browns. Cleveland fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and running backs coach Stump Mitchell earlier this offseason. The team did not retain tight ends coach T.C. McCartney.
Ken Dorsey Pumped to Work With Browns’ Offensive Line
Getty ImagesGuard Wyatt Teller is one of the core pieces of the Browns offensive line.
The Browns had one of the best offensive lines in football with Callahan leading the way. New Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey is excited to get to work with his big guys up front.
“First and foremost, you can’t help but get jacked up about this opportunity because of those guys up front,” he said. “You watch them on tape and you can’t help but get excited about the guys that we’ve got up there and what they’re able to do because they’re diverse in what they can do. You’ve got a group of guys that can pull, you’ve got a group of guys that can be zone-blocking scheme guys. You’ve got a group of guys that could come out and get movement at the point of attack in gap schemes and duo schemes. So that’s the exciting part for me.”
Injuries took a toll on the unit last year but guards Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio are both Pro Bowlers. The Browns will also have a nice group to work with at tackle with three solid options in Jack Conklin, Jedrick Wills and Dawand Jones, who had an outstanding rookie season. All three finished the year on injured reserve.
Center Ethan Pocic inked a three-year, $18 million contract extension last offseason.
Browns Still Searching for Bill Callahan’s Replacement
The Browns announced the hiring of Dorsey on Monday, as well as running backs coach Duce Staley, tight ends coach Tommy Rees and defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire.
Cleveland still has an offensive line coach vacancy, which makes sense considering Callahan departed on February 1.
“Bill is one of the best out there,” Dorsey said. “So in order to replace him, we’ve got to make sure we’re intentional with how we’re doing it and making the decision that’s in the best interest of us as a football team.”
Mike Munchak and former Seattle Seahawks offensive line coach Andy Dickerson are potential options for the Browns. In addition, Scott Peters is still on Stefanski’s staff as the assistant offensive line coach and could be looked at as an internal candidate.
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