What I’m hearing is behind Browns’ changes as Alex Van Pelt is fired – Terry Pluto
CLEVELAND, Ohio – What are the Browns doing?
On the surface, that question looms after they fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt along with running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney.
Didn’t the Browns finish with an 11-6 record? Didn’t they win games with four different quarterbacks? Didn’t they survive major injuries to Deshaun Watson, Nick Chubb and several key offensive linemen?
It starts with Watson.
This is my opinion based on things I’m hearing. It’s not coming from the Browns.
Nor is this only about Watson. He had nothing to do with the firings. It’s that the Browns know they need to change something on offense, especially when it comes to turning Watson into at least a top 10-rated QB.
LET’S NOT LIVE IN FANTASY LAND
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell and others have come up with trade possibilities for Watson. I doubt that will happen for these reasons:
1. Watson has three years left on his contract. In terms of cash to be paid, it’s $138 million going in his direction. All this contract information is according to salary website Over The Cap.
2. Watson counts $64 million on the salary cap annually for each of the next three years. The Browns possibly can change that by reworking the contract. No matter how the money is moved around, it’s an outrageously expensive deal because all the money left on the contract is fully guaranteed.
3. Here is the major fact those wanting to trade Watson ignore: He has a full NO-TRADE CLAUSE. This is a major point. The Browns can’t trade Watson without his permission.
4. When the Browns traded for Watson in the spring of 2022, he had three years left on a contract he had signed with Houston before the 2021 season. His agent used the no-trade clause to negotiate a brand new and far more lucrative contract with Cleveland. He played only one year on that new four-year Houston contract.
5. So Watson not only has the right to negate a trade – he also can demand a new contract to agree to a deal elsewhere. Why would any team take a guy with Watson’s spotty track record in terms of health and production in Cleveland and increase his already massive contract to facilitate a deal?
BACK TO REALITY
The Browns are not about to simply give up on Watson. Their view is the 2022 season was a mess due to the 11-game suspension. The 2023 season saw Watson play only six games while battling a shoulder problem that led to season-ending surgery. They want to start fresh with a healthy Watson in 2024. That’s the plan.
A year ago, the Browns made the decision to fire defensive coordinator Joe Woods and special teams coach Mike Priefer. They added Jim Schwartz (defense) and Bubba Ventrone (special teams).
Those coaching changes led to major upgrades.
Last weekend, I wrote a column about how the offseason changes to the coaching staff helped the Browns deal with adversity and injuries.
In that story, I mentioned that one of GM Andrew Berry’s favorite sayings is: “Stability isn’t complete continuity.”
Berry believes changes need to be made, usually every year – with players, coaches and the front office. The stability comes from being consistent in terms of expectations from people and how they are treated. But keeping everything the status quo can lead to complacency.
With Watson is staying, now is time for the offense to receive some type of coaching overhaul. The Browns looked at Watson and the offense this season and realized both needed to improve. Van Pelt has been with head coach Kevin Stefanski all four years in Cleveland.
The focus on the offense isn’t solely Watson, but he’s a major part of it.
The Browns believe they can play winning football with Watson. They were 4-1 in games where he played the majority of the snaps this past season.
But they wonder what happened to the Watson who was a dynamic player in Houston (2017-20). That Deshaun Watson made three Pro Bowls. He completed 67% of his passes. That’s the highest completion percentage of anyone in NFL history to that point who threw at least 1,500 passes.
In his 12 games with the Browns, he’s completed 60% of his passes. Many of the big plays in Houston didn’t materialize in Cleveland.
This past season, Watson ranked between 23rd and 27th in four different ratings systems that I checked. Watson had a couple of wonderful games, especially in the 27-3 victory over Tennessee and the 33-31 victory over Baltimore.
In the Ravens game, Watson was 14 of 14 passing in the second half. He brought the Browns back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to victory.
In that game, he suffered the major shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery. He had some minor rotator cuff problems earlier in the year.
The Browns sound confident about Watson making a full comeback from his injury and being ready for training camp.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
After the 2022 season, the Browns challenged Stefanski to be a more outgoing leader of the entire team. They saw a lot of progress in that area.
They like Stefanski as a play-caller. He probably will return to that role next season, but that could be under discussion based upon who is hired as the new offensive coordinator.
The Browns are looking to the outside for some new ideas to fire up the offense. Now that they made the playoffs, they want to find ways to become an elite team.
For that to happen, Watson has to at least approach his former Pro Bowl production. The goal is for the new coaches on offense to make that happen.
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