The Browns coaching staff has two more additions, as they officially announced they have hired Andy Dickerson as the offensive line coach and Roy Istvan as assistant offensive line coach.
"We were all very impressed with Andy, along with his background and knowledge when we first met about our offensive coordinator position," head coach Kevin Stefanski said. "When our offensive line position opened, he was among the first calls I made. Andy loves teaching and will bring a passion and energy that will greatly benefit our linemen. He understands the high standard that room must have in order for our offense to be successful and we know he's excited about being back in the building with this organization."
The Browns had a vacancy at offensive line coach as Bill Callahan became the Titans offensive line coach under his son, Brian, who is the new head coach of the Titans.
"Bill Callahan, very unique situation there to go work for Brian, not with Brian," Stefanski said on Feb. 5. "He's going to work for Brian. I can't wait for Brian to boss him around. The dream of every kid is to boss their parents around. So happy for those guys. I think organizationally we realized that's a unique situation and did not want to stand in the way of that. And so excited for certainly Brian and Bill down there."
Dickerson re-joins the Browns after initially spending two seasons in Cleveland from 2009-10, including 2010 as assistant offensive line coach. He is in his 19th season as an NFL coach after spending the past three seasons with Seattle, first as run game coordinator (2021) and then as offensive line coach (2022-23).
Dickerson served as assistant offensive line coach with the Rams from 2012-20, where he helped shape some of the league's top offensive units. In 2019, the Rams led the NFL in fewest sacks allowed with 22. In 2018, the Rams finished second in the NFL with an average of 421.1 yards per game and advanced to Super Bowl LIII. The Rams led the NFL with 29.9 points per game in 2017. His units helped pave the way for RB Todd Gurley II to be named the 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and 2015 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Dickerson has also spent time with the Jets (2011, 2006-08) and Patriots (2004-05) after beginning his coaching career at his alma mater Tufts University in 2003.
Istvan spent the past five seasons from 2019-23 as assistant offensive line coach with the Eagles, where he helped Philadelphia set numerous franchise records and several individual honors. The Eagles advanced to Super Bowl LVII as the team set single-season franchise records for points (477), total touchdowns (59), scrimmage touchdowns (57), rushing touchdowns (32) and total first downs (385). In 2021, the Eagles led the league with a franchise record 2,715 rushing yards. C Jason Kelce (2019, 21-23) was named first team All-Pro four times, while T Lane Johnson (2022) was a first team selection once and a second team selection twice in 2021 and 2023.
Prior to the Eagles, Istvan spent 28 years coaching on the college level. He brings 33 years of coaching experience on the college and pro levels combined.
Dickerson and Istvan take over an offensive line room that was one of the strong suits of the Browns offense last season. They offensive line dealt with numerous injuries from the first week of the season when they lost T Jack Conklin in Week 1 to a season-ending knee injury. They also were without T Jedrick Wills Jr. and rookie T Dawand Jones for the latter portion of the season due to injuries, both having their seasons also cut short. They were anchored with veteran players like G Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller but had players like T Geron Christian and G Michael Dunn fill in and play important roles over the course of the season.
The different skillsets of their offensive linemen present an opportunity for the Browns offense, as they players who can pull, can be zone blocking scheme players or get movement at the point of attack. With a healthy offensive line in 2024, the Browns could look to use those skillsets to their advantage.
