CLEVELAND — As the longest-tenured Browns player , left guard Joel Bitonio has come to expect the unexpected during NFL offseasons.
A reminder emerged last week when the Browns parted with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney.
On Tuesday night during the 24th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Bitonio said the news about Van Pelt caught him off guard.
"I loved AVP," Bitonio said. "He was a great guy and did a lot of good things for us. I know him and Coach [Kevin] Stefanski and really the whole staff did a great job of getting us in the right plays. I knew nothing about it until I saw it on Twitter like everybody else, so it's always a little bit of surprise.
"I think Coach Stefanski just wants to continue to tweak things. He did some things on defense last year and some things on offense now this year and special teams as well last year. But I have nothing but good things to say about a AVP. He was a great dude. He truly embodied that play-for-your-brother attitude with us, and you never want to see guys leave."
Bitonio spoke to reporters after accepting an award on behalf of the Browns for "Best Moment in Cleveland Sports." The team received the honor for its 37-20 playoff-clinching win Dec. 28 over the New York Jets on Cleveland's lakefront.
It's undeniable offensive line coach Bill Callahan has played a key role in helping the Browns experience some positive moments since 2020. Bitonio expressed optimism Callahan could remain with Cleveland, even though his son Brian recently became the head coach of the Tennessee Titans .
"Coach Callahan's been instrumental for us," Bitonio said. "I think he's helped develop a bunch of us on the line. We're thankful for that. He's one of the hardest workers. I know he puts in the time with us, and he's a big part of the run game and the scheme and protections.
"But then your son gets hired as the head coach, and I know we have the organization, the players, we appreciate what he's done, and hopefully he's here for us next year. But if your son calls, you might need to take that phone call as well. That's pretty special stuff, so I think we understand either way, and we're hopeful he's still around for us to help us next year."
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Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett won Professional Athlete of the Year on Tuesday night, prevailing in a category also occupied by Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor.
Browns General Manager Andrew Berry accepted the award on behalf of Garrett, who didn't attend the show but provided an acceptance speech via video.
Berry used the opportunity to declare on stage and backstage what he and other members of the organization had previously stated: Garrett should be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the 2023 season.
"We view him as a player who's been dominant, super productive ever since he's entered the league, and we feel like his work on the field hasn't always been nationally recognized, to be quite honest," Berry said. "And so just having a historically great player on a historically great defense and everything we were able to accomplish this year with him being a huge part of it, it would be really important to us organizationally.
"I don't think there's a defender in the NFL that has the snap-to-snap impact that Myles does. Run game, pass game, you name it, he totally dictates an offense's protections and game plans because he really is a game-wrecker if you leave him one on one."
Nothing the Browns say now about Garrett's DPOY candidacy will sway any voters. The deadline for ballots passed on Jan. 10.
Regardless, the Browns are adamant Garrett ought to be the winner.
"There's no debate," Browns defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II said. "I don't think there's a person that's played better this year than Myles Garrett. I don't think there's a person that's more important for a team than Myles Garrett."
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Hurst is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at 4 p.m. March 13. He is coming off a good individual season, albeit one cut short by a torn pectoral muscle he suffered Dec. 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars .
After presenting an award, Hurst said backstage his recovery from surgery is going well and he expects to "be ready by March, April."
Hurst also said he would like to re-sign with the Browns.
In past offseasons, Berry has re-signed many players to one-year contracts. Asked if Hurst could fit into the category, Berry said, "He absolutely could."
Berry said Monday in a season wrap-up news conference he would love to retain Joe Flacco as a backup to starting quarterback Deshaun Watson .
Bitonio echoed the sentiment while acknowledging Flacco might find a better opportunity to start elsewhere after guiding the Browns in December to a playoff berth.
"Everybody has a lot of respect for Joe," Bitonio said. "He bonded with the locker room, he put in the work with us and he won us some games. We appreciate that, and he's a guy that I think you keep in the locker room if you can.
"But he's going to probably have some opportunities out there to make some things happen, and we'll see what happens. We obviously know Deshaun's our guy going into next year, but if Joe wants to be part of the room and kind of help build that room, I think everybody would be open to that."
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Alex Van Pelt ouster as Browns OC 'a little bit of a surprise'
