LANDOVER, Md. — With Kevin Stefanski stating unequivocally after Sunday’s ugly 34-13 loss to the Commanders that he’s sticking with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, he should turn the playcalling over to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey this week to jumpstart the woeful unit.
It’s not that Stefanski is the No. 1 problem on this pathetic offense or that he doesn’t have a feel for Watson’s style. It’s that the Browns need to shake things up, and if they’re not switching quarterbacks, they need to do something to drastic to wake up the worst offense in the NFL.
I strongly advocated Stefanski retaining playcalling duties before the season, believing he was the best man for the job. The reigning AP NFL Coach of Year, he knew the offensive personnel and had worked with many types of quarterbacks, most of whom had their best seasons under him. I also wanted to see what he and Watson could accomplish together in their first full season.
But the offense, plagued by injuries, mistakes, penalties, dropped passes and the lack of a running game, needs a fresh approach before it’s too late, and at 1-4, they may have already reached that point. Granted, the offense has been largely without Pro Bowlers in David Njoku, Nick Chubb, Jack Conklin and Wyatt Teller, and Amari Cooper got off to a slow start.
But something’s got to give fast, or the Browns will be out of contention.
The offense has already conducted players-only meetings, and Watson said Sunday that the players would huddle with the coaches to strategize ways to utilize their personnel more effectively. The plan to huddle with the coaches this week to strategize ways to utilize their personnel more effectively.
“We’re just trying to figure out how we’re going to use all the skill guys we have,” Watson said. “It’s only one football, but we have a lot of great guys that can make plays and we’re trying to figure that out. Njoku came back this week, so we’re trying to introduce him back in offense, introduce things like that, while trying to figure out what type of offense and identity we want to be at. The time is clicking.”
Of course, it’s tough to get guys involved more when you’re not sustaining drives. The Browns went three-and-out on six of their 13 drives against the Commanders, and went 0-for-12 on third down when Watson was in the game. The lone conversion came after Jameis Winston replaced Watson with 2:28 left, a 16-yard pass to D’Onta Foreman with 43 seconds remaining.
A switch to Dorsey would give the Browns some much-needed data on if Watson is the biggest problem with the offense, or if it’s a systemic issue that needs to be addressed.
When Watson was asked on Sunday if Dorsey should be calling plays, he said, “That’s a Kevin question.”
I’m going to take that as a yes. If he felt it was all execution and not playcalling, I believe he would’ve said so.
Again, this is not an indictment on Stefanski’s playcalling. Having led the Browns to 11 victories twice, and doing so with four different starting quarterbacks last season, he’s already established himself as an excellent playcaller and bright offensive mind.
But it’s not working this season, and the quickest way to determine if playcalling is the issue is to change it up and let Dorsey take his turn. It’s also the easiest thing to change back or to collaborate on if it doesn’t ignite the offense. The scripted plays, which are collaborative, have generally worked well, with the Browns scoring on their opening drive in all but Sunday’s loss. But it’s been mostly downhill from there, with the offense averaging an NFL-worse 3.8 yard per play.
They’re also last in the NFL in total offense and third-down conversions, and 30th in passing. They’re scoring the third-fewest points in the NFL at 15.8, and have yet to reach 20 this season. Offensive line injuries have hurt them tremendously, and teams are dialing up the stunts, games and blitzes. Watson has been sacked on a league-high 24.1% of his dropbacks when blitzed, and it’s become the M.O. of every team they face.
Of course, the offensive struggles could be mostly Watson’s fault, and the Browns will likely find that out sooner than later. But for now, a change in playcalling just might be what this offense needs to find it’s energy, it’s identity and it’s ability to move the ball.
One need only look at the Bills last season to see what a difference a change in playcalling can make. Dorsey was fired with the Bills at 5-5, and they went 6-1 the rest of the way to finish 11-6 and make the playoffs. As it turns out, the offensive problems weren’t Dorsey’s fault, with Josh Allen’s passing yards and quarterback rating actually decreasing under then interim coordinator Joe Brady, and touchdowns too.
But it must have had the placebo effect, because the Bills immediately pulled out of their tailspin and played winning ball.
Besides, Dorsey, who’s well-versed in all things dual-quarterback, had a tremendous positive impact on Allen in his one-plus seasons as the playcaller in Buffalo.
In 2022, Dorsey’s first season as the Bills’ play-caller, they ranked second in the NFL in both total offense (397.6 YPG) and points per game (28.4). Allen, in making his second Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro that year, threw for 4,283 yards with 35 touchdowns and 14 interceptions en route to a 96.6 passer rating. He also rushed for 762 yards and seven TDs.
Dorsey’s prolific offense helped the Bills finish 13-3 that season with a plus-169 point differential, second in the NFL. Even last, Allen flourished under Dorsey except for his 11 interceptions. In 10 games with him, Allen completed more than 70% of his passes, and threw for 2,600 yards with 19 touchdowns and the 11 picks. He also rushed for seven TDs.
Dorsey had similar success with Cam Newton in Carolina, although he didn’t call plays there.As quarterbacks coach of the Panthers from 2013-17, Dorsey helped Cam Newton earn NFL MVP honors in 2015 after going 15-1 and leading the Carolina to Super Bowl 50. He also passed for more than 3,000 yards in each of those seasons, and rushed for an average of 574.6 yards.
The one thing that got significantly better with Joe Brady calling the plays in Buffalo was the running game, increasing from 116.5 yards per game to 161.2. If Stefanski wants to run the ball under Dorsey, he’d probably have to mandate it.
One thing’s for certain, first and second down have been abysmal, and the Browns are finding themselves in third and long more than any team in the NFL (34.1%). They’re averaging 4.0 yards on early downs, fewest in the NFL. They’re also 31st in pre-snap motion, 30th in pressure rate, and 30th in dropped passes.
Watson is at or near the bottom of almost every key QB stat, including 28th in rating at 74.8 and 30th in QBR at 21. But he’s also been sacked a league-high 26 times — seven more by the Commanders, and hit 64. If something doesn’t change soon, he’s going to get hurt again soon.
Maybe a quarterback change will light up the offense. But a change in playcalling is best next step.
