Pro Bowler Joel Bitonio Breaks Silence on Browns Firing Offensive Coaches
The Cleveland Browns are in the midst of sweeping changes to the offensive coaching staff, and one of their most decorated members expressed his opinion on the moves Tuesday night.
Left guard Joel Bitonio spoke with reporters at the 24th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards on the evening of January 23. Media members asked the five-time All-Pro about the Browns’ decision to fire offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, which is the biggest decision the organization has made to this point in the offseason.
“I cherished AVP. He was an extraordinary fellow and turned out to be beneficial things for us,” Bitonio said, per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Signal Diary. ” I know him and [head mentor Kevin] Stefanski and actually the entire staff worked really hard of getting us in the right plays. I didn’t know anything about [Van Pelt’s] until I saw it on Twitter like every other person, so it’s generally a tad of shock.”
Bitonio remarked further, showing that the decision to continue on from Van Pelt might have been more Stefanski’s than that of senior supervisor Andrew Berry.
“I think Mentor Stefanski simply needs to keep on tweaking things. He did a few things on guard last year and a few things on offense now this year and unique groups too last year,” Bitonio added. ” However, I cannot say enough good things about an AVP. He was an incredible buddy. With us, he truly exemplified the play-for-your-brother mentality, and you never want guys to leave.
Browns’ Choice to Fire Alex Van Pelt, Hostile Mentors Came as Shock Around NFL
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson was quick to report Cleveland’s choice to fire Van Pelt, running backs mentor Stump Mitchell and tight finishes mentor T.C. McCartney on January 17. What’s more, Anderson noted in her report that “some player [were] upset from the news.”
The call was to some degree inquisitive thinking about the Browns offense, and especially the passing game, clicked under Van Pelt’s direction once the group got quarterback Joe Flacco and raised him into a beginning job. Flacco found the middle value of in excess of 300 yards passing across a 4-1 run that landed Cleveland the No. 5th place in the AFC.
On Super Wild Card Weekend, the Houston Texans defeated the Cleveland Browns 45-14, in part due to Flacco throwing two interceptions on the offense’s first two drives of the second half, both of which were returned by Texans defense for touchdowns.
All things considered, Cleveland’s top of the line guard permitted 24 first-half focuses, as Houston quarterback CJ Stroud dismantled the auxiliary. He had time because Myles Garrett, the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year, and his teammates failed to return home even once during the game, resulting in zero sacks.
RB Scratch Chubb Among Browns’ Conceivable Cap Setbacks
The Browns offense is possible available for certain progressions to its hostile plan, which could incorporate critical augmentations as well as deductions from the program.
One player whose future is being referred to is four-time Genius Bowl running back Scratch Chubb. Chubb is falling off of a season-finishing knee injury in Week 2 that requires two medical procedures to fix. He is entering the last year of his $36.6 million agreement in 2024, and the group can save more than $11.8 million by cutting or exchanging Chubb this offseason.
Jerome Ford, a second-year running back, had a breakout sophomore season in 2023. This could make it possible for Cleveland to let go of Chubb to free up cap space and fill more pressing roster gaps.
