The Browns officially announced they have hired Mike Bloomgren as the new offensive line coach.
"Mike has a wealth of knowledge and is extremely bright," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "In addition to his NFL experience, he has worked in a number of pro-style offenses on the college level. He has proven to be successful as a teacher and motivator, which will be vital for our offensive line room. We are excited to add Mike to our coaching staff."
Bloomgren served as the head coach at Rice University for seven seasons, beginning in 2018. While at Rice, Bloomgren led the football program to back-to-back bowl game appearances in 2022 and 2023 for the first time since 2013 and 2014 – and the fourth time in program history.
Bloomgren played college football at Culver-Stockton College, where he spent two seasons as a tight end. He graduated from Florida State University in 1999 with a degree in sports management. While at Florida State, Bloomgren worked as an undergraduate assistant to the linebackers.
Bloomgren began his coaching career in 1999 as a graduate assistant at Alabama. He then spent three seasons at Catawba College as the co-offensive coordinator, offensive line and special teams coach. He then spent two seasons at Delta State in a similar role, working as the offensive coordinator, offensive line and specials teams coach.
He transitioned to the NFL in 2007 when he joined the Jets staff as an offensive quality control coach for two seasons and served in this position under Brian Schottenheimer and Bill Callahan. He then moved into an offensive assistant role in 2009 when Rex Ryan became the head coach of the Jets. In 2010, he served as an assistant offensive coordinator, and the Jets finished with an 11-5 record, averaging nearly 23 points per game.
"That time trained and instilled a lot of beliefs I have in the position and in the manner in which it should be taught," Bloomgren said.
Bloomgren returned to collegiate football in 2011 at Stanford, serving as the running game coordinator and offensive line coach for two seasons. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2013 and took the helm of their pro-style offensive attack. Stanford won eight or more games in each of his seasons and reached the Pac-12 Football Championship four times, winning three titles. While leading the Stanford offense, Bloomgren also coached both QB Andrew Luck and RB Christian McCaffrey, both Heisman finalists who went on to have successful careers in the NFL.
He helped develop a total of 12 NFL Draft selections and 11 All-America selections at Stanford, including first round picks in G Joshua Garnett, who won the 2015 Outland Trophy, and McCaffrey, who set the NCAA all-purpose yardage record.
Now back in the NFL, Bloomgren takes over an offensive line room that features veterans and Pro Bowlers in LG Joel Bitonio, RT Jack Conklin, C Ethan Pocic and RG Wyatt Teller. He also has a younger player in T Dawand Jones, who now has experience playing both left and right tackle in his two seasons in the NFL.
The different skillsets of their offensive linemen present an opportunity for the Browns offense, as they have players who can pull, can be zone blocking scheme players or create movement at the point of attack. With a healthy offensive line in 2025, the Browns could look to use those skillsets to their advantage.
The Browns dealt with their struggles as an offense during the 2024 season, particularly on the injury front for the offensive line in the first half of the season. They used seven different offensive line combinations to start over the first eight games. Teller missed Weeks 4 through 7 with a knee injury. Conklin missed the first five games of the season as he recovered from a knee injury. LT Jedrick Wills Jr. played five games in 2024 before being placed on the injured reserve with a knee injury. Jones, who took over for Wills following his injury, also fractured his leg in Week 11 and missed the remainder of the season.
However, as they look to be a healthy unit and build consistency once again in 2025 as an offensive line, Bloomgren brings experience of working with the offensive line over the course of his 26-year coaching career.
"I am excited about joining this organization," Bloomgren said. "From the Haslams to the alignment with Andrew (Berry) and Kevin, I think it's an exciting time to be here. The commitment that they all have to making this place great, and making another playoff run, is everything I want to be a part of. I think as a coach, we exist for the players and that's always going to be the case. I also think it's our job to give them clear direction of how to do things. I know there's a Hall of Fame player here in Joel Bitonio. I think there are some really good pieces, and we have to see exactly how they can fit and see exactly how this offense gets formed, but I am excited about the potential with that group."
