Cleveland Interviews Former QB of the Browns for Open OC Post
Early on January 17, the Cleveland Browns made waves when it was announced that they had fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Several players were reportedly angered by the move.
Nevertheless, the Browns have reportedly contacted former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, who was dismissed midway through the 2023 season, for the vacant post. This news comes from CBS Sports NFL source Jonathan Jones. Van Pelt’s replacement is now being sought after.
The two recognized candidates who have interviewed for the position are Dorsey, who spent three seasons as a quarterback with the Browns in the middle of the 2000s, and Andy Dickerson, the offensive line coach for the Seattle Seahawks, who has never worked as an offensive coordinator.
Dorsey was selected with the 241st overall choice in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft, despite having the distinction of being the most successful quarterback in the illustrious history of University of Miami football and a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2002.
The California native was sold to the Browns in 2006 for veteran quarterback Trent Dilfer, following three seasons with the Niners. During his first two seasons in Cleveland, he played in just one game and attempted just one pass. However, in 2008, he started three games when Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson suffered season-ending injuries.
In his three starts, Dorsey was 0–3 with six interceptions and only 48.9% of his passes completed for 370 yards and no touchdowns. In Week 16, during his third start against the Cincinnati Bengals, he sustained an injury to his ribs and suffered a concussion, which ended his season.
After the season, Dorsey was cut loose and never returned to the NFL, but he did play for the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL for one season in
After retiring from professional football, Dorsey started his coaching career at the high school level. In 2011, the Carolina Panthers signed him as a scout, and he worked for them for five years.
In 2019, after serving as Florida International University’s associate athletic director for a year, Dorsey rejoined the NFL as a quarterbacks coach with the Buffalo Bills.
After the Bills finished second in both scoring (28.4 points per game) and total yards (397.6 yards per game) in 2022—behind only the Kansas City Chiefs, who won the Super Bowl—he was elevated to offensive coordinator.
But when Buffalo committed four turnovers and had a season-high four drops in a 24-22 defeat to the Denver Broncos in Week 10 of 2023, Dorsey was removed of his duties because someone had to bear the brunt of the team’s dismal 5-5 start.
The Bills won six of their final seven games when Joe Brady took over as Dorsey’s successor, winning the AFC East at 11-6.
In the event that Dorsey were hired by the Browns as offensive coordinator, he would have to get used to not being the play caller—head coach Kevin Stefanski does that on game days.
Luke Norris writes about golf as well as the NFL for Heavy.com, with a primary concentration on the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns. Luke is a native of central Illinois. He has over ten years of experience as a sports writer and editor, and GiveMeSport, FanSided, Sportscasting, Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, and ClutchPoints have all featured his work. Additional information on Luke Norris
