Report: Browns Fire Two Offensive Assistant Coaches

The Browns hired running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.S. McCartney. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt remains under contract. Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has reportedly made some changes to his offensive coaching staff to begin the 2024 season.
Stefanski, who led the Browns to their second playoff appearance in 2023 since becoming head coach in 2020, fired running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T. McCartney will not be arrested, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reports. Anderson initially reported that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt had also been fired, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport later reported that Van Pelt was still under contract.

But another report from Anderson says Van Pelt informed his teammates on Tuesday that he would be fired. Anderson noted that “some players were upset at the news of their coach’s departure.”
Anderson said the change happened Tuesday after the Browns became the first team since 2015 to win a game with four different starting quarterbacks. Despite losing Deshaun Watson, Pro Bowl Nick Chubb and their top three offensive tackles to season-ending injuries, they ranked 16th in the NFL in passing yards (335.9) and 10th in points per game (23.3).
Mitchell and McCartney have been part of Stefanski’s team since joining in 2020. Mitchell has served as coordinator/running backs coach since Stefanski became head coach. The Browns ranked 12th in the league last season with 118.6 rushing yards per game despite losing Chubb to a season-ending injury in Week 2. That opened the door for Jerome Ford to take over as the starter and lead the Browns with 813 rushing yards, but his 4.0 yards per carry ranked 29th in the league among running backs with at least 100 carries.
July 29, 2021; Beer, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns coach Stump Mitchell during training camp on the CrossCountry Mortgage campus. McCartney oversaw a career-best season for David Njoku in 2023, then finished second on the Browns with 882 receiving yards and six touchdowns — both career highs in his seven-year career. McCartney previously served as an offensive assistant in 2020-21 and was also the team’s offensive assistant in 2014. The Browns finished the regular season in second place with an 11-6 record and won four of their last four games to advance to the playoffs behind the incredible play of then-38-year-old QB Joe Flacco. An impressive playoff run propelled Stefanski to the top of the NFL Coach of the Year list. Their hot streak came to an abrupt end on Saturday with a 45-14 drubbing by the Texans in the wild card round.

Flacco threw six straight touchdowns in the second half, halting the Browns’ momentum as they rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit. Anthony Poisal is a freelance writer covering the Cleveland Browns for BetOhio.com. He previously worked as a writer for the Browns team website and is a graduate of Ohio State University.