A look at the wide receiver free agent market, why Kevin Stefanski should continue calling plays, and the Cleveland Browns’ hiring of Ken Dorsey prove to be a good fit.
Ken Dorsey, the former offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, has reportedly been hired by the Cleveland Browns to serve as their new offensive coordinator.
After serving as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator for the previous four seasons, Alex Van Pelt is replaced by Dorsey. Since taking over in 2020, Kevin Stefanski, the head coach of the Browns, has called the offensive plays.
Earlier this month, the Browns and Van Pelt—who also held the position of quarterbacks coach—broke up as the team looked for a new perspective to help Deshaun Watson succeed going forward.
On November 14, Dorsey was fired by the Bills following a 5–5 start. Many, though, believe that Josh Allen’s bad play during this time was due to Dorsey’s manipulation. Under interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Buffalo made a comeback and won the AFC East. Brady’s title no longer has the interim tag applied by the Bills.
When Cam Newton was a quarterback in Carolina, including during his MVP season in 2015, Dorsey was his coach. Newton said of Dorsey, “He’ll bring a newness and spark to FIU,” and the two had a good rapport. He is not only a diligent worker but also possesses a strong killer instinct. He has a track record of success over many years.”
2019 saw him join the Buffalo Bills as their quarterbacks coach, where he developed a similarly dependable rapport with Josh Allen. After teaching Allen for a number of years, he was elevated to offensive coordinator and succeeded Brian Daboll until his dismissal in the middle of the season this year.
Given that both Allen and Newton are dual-threat quarterbacks who perform well when playing off-schedule, the acquisition makes a lot of sense. Given their close friendship, we can presume that Newton would have given Watson some positive comments regarding Dorsey.
JOY-CALLING
Kevin Stefanski will continue to call plays for the Browns, in my opinion. The goal of the offensive line adjustments was to bring in fresh perspectives and creative ideas to help shape this offence in a way that will maximise Watson’s potential for success.
In 2022, Dorsey called plays for the second-best offence in the NFL, but in his career, he has only done so for one and a half seasons. Even though I’m sure he could handle it, I don’t see Stefanski giving up play-calling. He is becoming better all the time and is already a fantastic play-caller and play sequencer.
These actions were never about calling plays; rather, they were about creating an offensive unit at the cutting edge of theories and concepts that are best suited for a quarterback with Watson’s dual threat ability.
The Market for Wide Receivers
It’s unlikely, even though Watson recently said on his podcast with quarterback trainer Quincy Avery that he wanted Tee Higgins to visit Cleveland.
In Cincinnati, Higgins will probably be tagged, and they will make every effort to retain him.
That being said, in an offseason that ought to be centred around offence, wide receiver is undoubtedly high on the list of priorities. The top wide receivers available this offseason on the free agent market are listed below.
- WR TEE HIGGINS, CINCINNATI BENGALS
- WR MICHAEL PITTMAN JR., INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
- WR MIKE EVANS, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
- WR MARQUISE BROWN, ARIZONA CARDINALS
- WR CALVIN RIDLEY, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
- WR DARNELL MOONEY, CHICAGO BEARS
- WR GABRIEL DAVIS, BUFFALO BILLS
- WR ODELL BECKHAM JR., BALTIMORE RAVENS
- WR TYLER BOYD, CINCINNATI BENGALS
- WR CURTIS SAMUEL, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
- WR KENDRICK BOURNE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
- WR D.J. CHARK, CAROLINA PANTHERS
- WR MICHAEL THOMAS, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
- WR JOSH REYNOLDS, DETROIT LIONS
- WR NICK WESTBROOK-IKHINE, TENNESSEE TITANS
- WR K.J. OSBORN, MINNESOTA VIKINGS
- WR NOAH BROWN, HOUSTON TEXANS
There are a few intriguing names, but they don’t stay very long. Pittman would look fantastic in orange and brown, of course, but I don’t see him escaping the Colts.
Boyd, Reynolds, Osborne, Brown, Mooney, and Ridley pique my interest the most. Even though some players are in different price ranges, they would all make the current room better.
When looking at the Browns current wide receiver room, I imagine the depth chart looks like this:
- Amari Cooper
- Elijah Moore
- Cedric Tillman
- David Bell
- Michael Woods
It makes sense that the Browns would want to improve the room’s quality. I adore Tillman’s ceiling, and he was effective once the Browns realised Moore was better off running routes down the field than using gadgets.
Before the NFL Draft, everyone would be positioned more appropriately on the depth chart if there was a legitimate number two wide receiver. My top choices for that position are Ridley, Mooney, Boyd, and Osborne. This space needs more depth, at the very least.
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