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Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio see 'identity' for Browns offense in old Kevin Stefanski system
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- Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio see 'identity' for Browns offense in old Kevin Stefanski system
BEREA — The big idea behind hiring Ken Dorsey as Browns offensive coordinator was to unlock their $230 million quarterback Deshaun Watson .
One of the big reasons why Dorsey was fired in that role Sunday was because Watson has yet to figure out to path back to being the Pro Bowler Cleveland thought it was picking up in the infamous 2022 trade with the Houston Texans .
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The pathway to changing the success of the offense, though, doesn't hinge on Watson. At least, it shouldn't hinge on him, not in the abstract.
It's not about Watson himself that was the criticism in the Browns locker room. It's about an offensive identity that hinges on one specific person to be the fulcrum of the entire thing.
Boiled down even more, the next offense can't be the " Deshaun Watson offense" or "Insert Player Here offense." It has to be the " Cleveland Browns offense."
"I think it's just creating our own identity is what this team needs," right tackle Jack Conklin said Sunday as the Browns cleared out their lockers after the season ended. "I think creating around an individual makes things tough for everybody else. So I think you got to stick with what this team's been built around, and if we can do that I think we can have a lot of success with that part of it."
Browns guard Joel Bitonio (75) and tackle Jack Conklin (78) celebrate after Nick Chubb scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 27, 2022, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Dorsey's hiring last January was a clear sign the Browns intended to build up the offense around Watson, even as he was coming off shoulder surgery. The former Carolina Panthers quarterbacks coach and Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach/offensive coordinator had great success with Cam Newton and Josh Allen , helping both reach their fullest potential as elite quarterbacks.
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That never happened in Cleveland, even before Watson's season-ending Achilles tear in Week 7. The offense was among the worst in the league with him at quarterback, and while there was a noticeable improvement in the passing game's ability to make plays once Jameis Winston took over, it remained unable to score points.
"I just think we lacked identity offensively," Conklin said. "I think we tried to do a lot of different things and we didn't really get good at doing one thing. And I think that was really the hard part and I think there's a lot we need to fix and a lot of things that really just comes down to finding our identity and what we want to hang our hat on and do and move forward with that."
To move forward, is there a chance the Browns need to move backward? It's not as if there hasn't been a blueprint established before that has worked for the team under coach Kevin Stefanski.
Left guard Joel Bitonio , like Conklin, was part of two playoff teams under Stefanski. Those two teams were at their best offensively when the balance of an outside zone run game with a play-action passing game out of the Mike Shanahan/Gary Kubiak tree under which Stafanski was tutored.
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"I think that's what Coach Stefanski's comfortable with, the marriage of the run and the pass," Bitonio said. "You take your shots with some play-action heavy things. I think it's what we've had the most success under, and I think it's what Coach Stefanski is most comfortable with."
It certainly shows in the way the Browns have been built, especially with the investment in the line of scrimmage. That's where they've paid Bitonio and Conklin and right guard Wyatt Teller , and even soon-to-be free agent Jedrick Wills Jr.
However, the Browns got away from leaning on that line this season. Part of that was because of the number of early-season injuries that left them using seven different starting combinations in the first eight games.
Part of that, though, was schematic changes. It was a collaborative change that involved not just Dorsey, but offensive line coach Andy Dickerson, the other Browns assistant fired Sunday who had also been interviewed for the coordinator position when Dorsey was hired.
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"I thought me and Wyatt as pullers running some outside zone, I think that was what I did well in my career, and I probably pulled less than 10 times this year overall," Bitonio said. "And there were games in my career where I pulled eight or 10 times in a game, so it was different, for sure. But I think that's where the strength of offense is, and we can build it up, get the right people in the right position."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns star linemen say old Kevin Stefanski offense fits 'identity'
