Tuesday brought the first surprise of an important offseason for the Browns as special teams coach Mike Priefer was fired.
Priefer and Browns coach Kevin Stefanski had worked together with the Vikings before reuniting with the Browns following Stefanski’s hiring in January 2020. The Browns’ special teams units had been shaky for multiple seasons but finished 2022 playing well, and though the Browns fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods a few hours after the January season finale, six weeks had passed and all indications were that Priefer would return.
A statement attributed to Stefanski that was released by the Browns on Tuesday indicates that the Browns believe they either have found or will find an upgrade, which led to Priefer being fired.
“I appreciate everything Prief has done for this team in his three seasons as my special teams coordinator, but I have decided to move in another direction in the best interest of our organization,” Stefanski’s statement said. “I know this city will forever be grateful for the job he did as acting head coach in our AFC Wildcard win and for all his contributions while leading the Browns special teams units for the last four seasons. We wish Prief the best with his next opportunity.”
We've parted ways with special teams coordinator Mike Priefer.
Thank you, Coach Prief, for all you've done for our organization and city. pic.twitter.com/YS0ewYWTpy
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) February 21, 2023Per multiple reports, the Browns submitted requests for permission to interview Colts special teams coach Bubba Ventrone and Giants assistant special teams coach Anthony Blevins for their new vacancy. Ventrone, a former Browns player, has spent the last five seasons coaching the Colts’ special teams units but could be allowed to leave after the Colts hired Shane Steichen as their new head coach last weekend.
There’s a belief in league circles that the Browns fired Priefer after discovering that Ventrone would be available as a result of the Colts’ staffing changes, but as of Tuesday afternoon, Ventrone remained under contract with the Colts and the Browns’ request to interview Ventrone had not been formally granted. Later Tuesday, The Athletic learned that the Browns had received permission to speak with Ventrone and set up an interview for Wednesday.
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Most coaching staffs are generally set by this point of the offseason, which hits a landmark next week with the start of the NFL Scouting Combine. But multiple teams are still building their staffs after the Colts and Cardinals didn’t hire new head coaches until after the Super Bowl and the Ravens just made an offensive coordinator hire last week in Todd Monken, who held the same job with the Browns in 2019. The Browns are still in the process of finalizing their defensive staff after hiring Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator in January, and they’re also in the market for a new quarterbacks coach after Drew Petzing became the Cardinals’ new offensive coordinator last weekend.
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Priefer had first joined the Browns in 2019 on Freddie Kitchens’ staff, and Priefer served as the interim coach for the Browns’ only playoff win of the franchise’s post-1999 era. Stefanski missed that game in Pittsburgh following the 2020 season after testing positive for COVID-19, and Priefer had been designated as the interim coach on Stefanski’s emergency depth chart throughout that strange season.
A day after the conclusion of the 2022 season, Stefanski said he was open to anything staff-related that would improve the team, including making a change at special teams coordinator or giving up play-calling duties. But enough time had passed that outside assumption was that the Browns were focused on filling out their remade defensive staff and replacing Petzing. As of early Tuesday afternoon, no interview requests for the Browns’ quarterbacks’ coach job had been made public.
Though last year’s Deshaun Watson trade and Watson’s eventual suspension led to a disjointed season for the Browns’ offense, the 2022 Browns had continuity on defense and across the roster. Failing to turn that continuity into a winning season is a big reason the Browns have now made two coordinator changes; Priefer’s dismissal is a surprise because of the timing and because of his long-standing relationship with Stefanski, but not because anyone thought he was doing an excellent job with the Browns’ special teams.
All three of the Browns’ primary specialists — kicker Cade York, punter Corey Bojorquez and long snapper Charley Hughlett — are under contract for 2023. The Browns did a long-term extension for Hughlett last December to keep him from potentially hitting the market next month. York had an up-and-down rookie season, and given the Browns’ fourth-round investment in York last spring, it’s fair to assume that York’s struggles were a part of Priefer ultimately losing his job. The new special teams coach will be tasked with getting better results out of York and more consistent play out of the kick coverage and kick return teams.
The Browns’ 2022 special teams units ranked 14th leaguewide by FootballOutsiders.com special teams DVOA. They’d ranked 25th in 2021 and 27th in the 2020 playoff season.
A person with knowledge of the negotiations not authorized to speak publicly confirmed reports Tuesday afternoon that the Browns plan to hire Ephraim Banda as their safeties coach. Banda previously was the defensive coordinator at Utah State. From last year’s defensive staff, defensive line coach Chris Kiffin (Houston) and secondary coach Jeff Howard (Chargers) accepted other NFL jobs, but there’s been no announcement from the Browns on the status of Schwartz’s first staff.
The Browns’ preference is not to formally announce any coaching hires until the full staff for 2023 is finalized. Whether that changes this year because of the strange and still-changing circumstances of the late coaching carousel remains to be seen, but it’s clear Stefanski still has work to do.
(Top photo: Scott Galvin / USA Today)
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