Tag: Ken Dorsey

Report: Cowboys ‘are considering’ controversial twice-fired candidate for OC role

From @ToddBrock24f7: Ken Dorsey lasted 1 year in Cleveland after almost 5 in Buffalo. No interview is scheduled yet, but the Cowboys reportedly have interest.

The Cowboys caused quite a stir when they announced the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer as the 10th head coach in the franchise’s history. Since then, though, their initial assembly of a coaching staff to serve under the first-time head coach has drawn widespread praise and even optimism within Cowboys Nation.

The latest name to surface in the offensive coordinator search, however, is not being received quite so well.

The Cowboys are considering former Browns OC Ken Dorsey to serve the same role in Dallas, according to a report Thursday from ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler. While an interview has yet to be scheduled at the time of this writing, the two sides are said to be discussing the logistics of a meeting.

Dorsey, 43, was fired in Cleveland after one season in which the Browns went 3-14 and averaged a league-worst 15.2 points per game. The offense also finished in the bottom five in yards per game, yards per play, plays per drive, time of possession, third-down conversions, and red zone TD percentage.

Those numbers represented a significant dropoff from the previous season, when the team ended 11-6 and made the playoffs under OC Alex Van Pelt.

Prior to Cleveland, Dorsey had been with the Bills for five seasons, working his way up from quarterbacks coach to passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator for his last two years in Buffalo. Though Josh Allen and the Bills won AFC East titles in both of those seasons, Dorsey was not there for all of it; he was fired 10 games into the 2023 campaign due to offensive struggles.

The California native went memorably viral early in the 2022 season for a meltdown in the coach’s box during a last-second loss to the Dolphins.

Dorsey’s first NFL coaching job was as Carolina’s QB coach from 2013 to 2017.

Apart from his booth tantrum while with Buffalo, Dorsey is likely best remembered as the winningest quarterback in Miami Hurricanes history, a national champion with the 2001 squad, a two-time Quarterback of the Year, and holder of most of the school’s passing records.

A seventh-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2003, his pro career was far less stellar. He played in 11 games over two seasons in San Francisco and then made just five more appearances with the Browns, compiling a 2-11 record in 13 NFL starts. He threw for just over 2,000 yards total and amassed eight touchdowns and 18 interceptions before moving to the CFL as a backup for one last season in 2010.

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The Cowboys’ apparent interest in an offensive coordinator who has been fired from that position in each of the last two seasons is curious to many, especially since he would be the right-hand man in Dallas to a head coach in Schottenheimer who is brand-new to that role and will reportedly be calling his own plays on gameday.

Dallas has reportedly already interviewed Falcons tight end coach Kevin Koger and Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams for their OC opening. Adams, in particular, has been viewed as a strong candidate who is on track toward an OC slot somewhere sooner or later.

Of course, even if the Cowboys do interview Dorsey for the current offensive coordinator vacancy, he could also be considered for another function on Schottenheimer’s staff.

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Three names emerge as Titans assistant GM candidates

The Tennessee Titans hired Mike Borgonzi as general manager, and there are three names emerging as possible assistant GM candidates.

The Tennessee Titans hired their new general manager, Mike Borgonzi, late last week. After settling in, it’s likely that he will begin to make his impact felt. One of the ways he will do that is by hiring an assistant general manager, and so far, there are three names at the top of the list: Dave Ziegler, Ken Dorsey, and Jim Nagy.

Dave Ziegler has been with the New Orleans Saints as a personnel advisor for the last year after being fired from the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023. Prior to that, he was with the New England Patriots for 11 years in several roles as assistant director of pro scouting, director of pro personnel, assistant director of player personnel, and director of player personnel.

Jim Nagy is the Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl and is a known associate of Mike Borgonzi. He has overseen both football and business operations for the Senior Bowl since 2018. Prior to that, Nagy was an NFL scout for 18 years, working with teams like the Washington Commanders, Seattle Seahawks, and New England Patriots.

Nagy also took to Twitter in February of 2023 in support of Borgonzi.

The third name that has appeared, although less frequently, is former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. Dorsey entered the league as a player in 2003 and became the quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers in 2013. He joined the Buffalo Bills in the same role in 2019 and was eventually named their offensive coordinator. He joined the Browns in that role in 2023 and was fired after one season.

The Titans certainly have options when it comes to an assistant general manager, so we’ll have to wait and see who Borgonzi decides to hire.

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Report: Saints coach ‘a name to keep an eye on’ in Browns OC search

A new report links New Orleans Saints coach Klint Kubiak to the Browns offensive coordinator search. We can’t rule out a lateral move with a new head coach coming in:

A new report linked New Orleans Saints coach Klint Kubiak to the Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator search, with The MMQB’s Albert Breer suggesting Kubiak is a candidate “to keep an eye on” with Cleveland gearing up to find Ken Dorsey’s replacement.

We can’t rule out a lateral move with a new head coach coming in. The Saints would probably like to keep Kubiak on staff after he modernized the offense Pete Carmichael carried over from Sean Payton, but whoever they hire to replace Dennis Allen may not feel the same way. If their new head coach — whoever they may be — has a new vision for the offense, Kubiak may not be part of it. At the same time, Kubiak himself could be a candidate; he has an endorsement from Drew Brees for the job.

So it’s something to watch in the days and weeks ahead. Injuries hammered the Saints at every position group this season, but Kubiak’s unit finished the regular season ranked near the middle of the pack in yards per play (5.3), a marginal improvement over their 2023 pace (5.1). They were a bottom-10 offense in points scored (338, after finishing top-10 the season before at 402) and while the run game greatly improved to 4.4 yards per carry over last year’s second-worst rate of 3.6, it was hardly the dominant force we expected. We can’t overlook their bottom-5 showing on third downs, either (35.2%). Kubiak could very well return to the Saints in 2025, but this report at least suggests he has other options.

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Browns fire two offensive coaches after Week 18 loss to Ravens

Browns part ways with two offensive coaches, Ken Dorsey and Andy Dickerson, after the loss to the Ravens in Week 18.

The Cleveland Browns have announced that they have fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and offensive line coach Andy Dickerson after their loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the regular-season finale.

Cleveland has had a clear drop-off in offensive production since their exciting playoff appearance in 2023. Dorsey, the former Bills offensive coordinator, was one of the first coaches who called offensive plays under head coach Kevin Stefanski. After finishing the season with an average of 15.2 points per game, the lowest in the NFL, Stefanski will likely resume play-calling duties next year with possibly a new quarterback under center.

The offensive line and the entire offense experienced a significant decline in performance this season, partly because of injuries. The Browns are ranked 26th in sack rate (8.1%) and 23rd in pressure rate (35.1%) when teams did not blitz this season. Although they rank last (13.1%) and are prone to sacks against the blitz, they gave up multiple plays in a game that were drive-killers to the offense.

These moves were not unexpected, as the Browns are only guaranteed to retain Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry. We’ll see who else they could let go before they enter offseason planning.

Browns offensive coordinator keeps message simple to Jameis Winston vs. Saints

Ken Dorsey keeps his message to his quarterback simple as he takes on his former team

Quarterback Jameis Winston is looking to bounce-back from a three-interception performance. and Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey is keeping the message simple against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Heading into his third start of the regular season, Winston has had his typical ups and downs, throwing for over 550 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. Cleveland offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has taken over playcalling since Winston began starting, and he discussed how Winston can protect the ball better, via Camryn Justice: “We’ve got to trust our eyes, trust what we see out there….there’s no need to force anything.”

After a horrendous offensive start to the season, the passing game has shown life at times with Winston, as he recorded the two highest single-game passing yards for a Cleveland quarterback this season so far. Second-year receiver Cedric Tillman has had a breakout with Winston, and hopefully, the two can build off their momentum after the bye week.

Winston and the Browns are headed to New Orleans for Week 11, where Winston gets to play against one of his former teams, where he made 10 starts in three seasons. Both teams have had underwhelming seasons to this point and could use a win to help turn the tide in each of their locker rooms.

Kevin Stefanski announces huge change to the offense

The Browns will have a new play-caller against the Ravens

The Cleveland Browns will have a new play-caller in Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens as Kevin Stefanski is turning the wheel over to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Stefanski told the media his big decision. In the presser, Stefanski stated that he relies heavily on Dorsey during gameday already, and this felt like the right thing to do as the Browns sit at 1-6 on the season.

Dorsey, who has called plays with the Buffalo Bills, has seen significant highs and lows doing so. One thing is for sure: new quarterback Jameis Winston is not going to be afraid to sling it, and Dorsey loves to dial up shots down the field.

At this point, the season is over. Why not take this opportunity to evaluate Dorsey as well as the 53 players on the roster? If Stefanski’s job were at risk, he would not be putting his security into the hands of another person.

We’ll see if this sparks something in Cleveland with a new quarterback and now a new play-caller.

What Kevin Stefanski had to say on possible change to playcalling responsibilities

Are the Browns ready to make a change at playcaller?

Sitting at 1-4, the Cleveland Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski have many questions to answer.

However, Stefanski is often asked if he is willing to turn playcalling duties over to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. The local media again asked him that question on Wednesday as they look to right the ship this weekend against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Here is what Stefanski had to say on the playcalling responsibilities and whether or not he would hand them over to Dorsey:

“I’m comfortable with the amount of collaboration we have right now on the headset and how we operate. So that won’t change. But I do want to emphasize that it’s — number one, we’re constantly looking at things that we can do better. But number two, this is a collective effort from players and coaches to make sure that we are playing better on offense.”

So no, there will be no change in playcaller this week. Stefanski and Dorsey will continue to communicate over the headset, but the head coach will relay the play into the quarterback this week against the Eagles.

We may be closer to swapping out quarterbacks (hopefully) before we get a change with the offensive playcaller.

Ken Dorsey announces he will coach from the sideline this season

Traditionally in the booth, Browns offensive coordinator will be on the sideline this season.

New Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has announced that he will coach from the sideline to start the 2024 regular season instead of from the booth.

This is a new step for the first-year coordinator, who we did not see on the sideline during his previous coaching seasons. Dorsey made this wise decision in hopes of connecting more with starting quarterback Deshaun Watson and other key offensive players during the game.

In his time with the Buffalo Bills, Dorsey was often found in the booth rather than on the field. This was a change of pace for him as he had previously served as the team’s quarterback coach and passing game coordinator, a role that allowed him to stay on the sideline. It seems now that Ken Dorsey now prefers to be on the sidelines with his quarterback.

The preference for face-to-face communication during crucial game decisions is favored by many NFL coaches. In a noisy, high-pressure environment, it can be challenging to strategize your offensive game plan from the booth. We’ll see if this strategy helps the Browns offense as they prepare to take on the Cowboys in a sure-to-be-loud environment.

Browns: Kevin Stefanski not trying to fix something that isn’t broken

The head coach makes the final verdict.

A talking point all offseason long was who would be the playcaller for the Cleveland Browns. Head coach Kevin Stefanski has called plays over the first four seasons of his stay in Cleveland, and he will not fix what is not broken.

There was speculation that part of the reason that Ken Dorsey was hired as the offensive coordinator of the Browns would be so that Stefanski could step back and hand off play calling. However, after the Browns’ first training camp practice in The Greenbrier in West Virginia, the reigning NFL Coach of the Year has put the issue to bed.

Even after Stefanski got his added security in the form of a contract extension, he has announced that he will retain play-calling duties in 2024.

This should not be surprising as Stefanski has won two NFL Coach of the Year awards in the last four years, predominantly due to his brilliance as a playcaller and game manager. Dorsey was brought in to marry their two systems, a task that is still very much at hand.

David Njoku foreshadows Browns’ offensive evolution with Ken Dorsey

What changes is the tight end hinting to?

There has been plenty of speculation this offseason about what changes the Browns offense will undergo in 2024. It was clear that Kevin Stefanski believed that the side of the ball must evolve and grow by changing most of his offensive assistant coaches.

Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey will heavily influence the changes, which will likely result in a different passing offense and a more vertical one. During his charity softball game this weekend, star tight end David Njoku was asked for his initial impression of the Dorsey playbook, to which he simply replied, “It’s juicy, dawg.”

You can’t help but watch the Buffalo Bills the last few years with Dorsey and think you will be seeing something similar to that blended into what has worked so well for Stefanski. It won’t be a completely different offense, of course, but more a mix of strengths to take things to the next level as the team pushes for a championship.