When offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey puts on his headset on game day against the Ravens, he will have a different role than he had in the first seven weeks of the 2024 season.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Wednesday that Dorsey will assume play calling duties. The plan is for Dorsey to call plays for the remainder of the season.
"I'm very confident in Ken, and I'm very confident in our offensive staff," Stefanski said. "I feel that this is — when you're talking about playing good football and putting game plans together, it's never one person's job. It's really a collaborative effort. So, I have a ton of faith in all of our coaches, and Ken calling the plays doesn't change that collaborative approach."
Stefanski said that he made the decision to make the change as they search for ways to improve as a football team and as an offense. Currently, the Browns sit at 1-6 on the season and have lost five consecutive games. They are last in the AFC North.
Dorsey said he and Stefanski had a conversation this week about changing play calling duties as they reflected and evaluated the state of the team. They will continue to work collaboratively, as Stefanski said he will assist Dorsey and the offensive staff as they game plan and as they execute throughout the game.
Check out photos of the team working to prepare for their game this week against the Baltimore Ravens at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Running back Nick Chubb (24) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (17) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Offensive guard Wyatt Teller (77) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Wide receiver Jamari Thrash (80) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Safety Rodney McLeod Jr. (12) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Offensive guard Wyatt Teller (77) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Cornerbacks Coach Brandon Lynch during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Wide receiver Jamari Thrash (80) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Offensive tackle Michael Dunn (68) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Quarterback Bailey Zappe (2) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Wide receiver Elijah Moore (8) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Cornerback Cameron Mitchell (29) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Tight end Jordan Akins (88) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Offensive tackle Roy Mbaeteka (61) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Quarterback Bailey Zappe (2) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Linebacker Khaleke Hudson (39) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Tight end Geoff Swaim (84) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Offensive guard Wyatt Teller (77) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Wide receiver Cedric Tillman (19) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Offensive guard Joel Bitonio (75) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Offensive guard Wyatt Teller (77) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Offensive tackle Dawand Jones (79) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Running back Gary Brightwell (35) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Linebacker Khaleke Hudson (39) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Quarterback Jameis Winston (5) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Quarterback Bailey Zappe (2) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Defensive Quality Control Coach Jeff Anderson during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Quarterback Bailey Zappe (2) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Defensive Line Coach Jacques Cesaire during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (54) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Running back D'Onta Foreman (27) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Offensive Assistant/Run Game Specialist Nick Charlton during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Senior Offensive Assistant Bill Musgrave during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Safety Trey Dean (28) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 23, 2024.
Center Cameron Tom (64) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Running back Pierre Strong Jr. (20) during practice at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on October 24, 2024.
Dorsey has been an offensive play caller before, a role he held when he was the offensive coordinator for the Bills from 2022-23. While there are a number of differences between the two offenses and his available personnel, Dorsey has experience in making the decision on which play to call. He remembers what it's like to be thinking about the play that he's calling in the moment, but also thinking ahead to the next play and planning ahead depending on different in-game situations.
Even in the first seven games this season, Dorsey said he would provide suggestions on plays he liked to give Stefanski options to call. He would prepare with calls in case there were certain situations Stefanski asked about throughout the game.
"There are a lot of different aspects of it when you're a play caller, versus when you're in a support role to the play caller," Dorsey said. "But obviously, done this before, and excited about the chance to go out and watch these guys play like they are capable of playing."
While Dorsey has spent the first seven games on the sideline helping to assist Stefanski and coach the quarterbacks, he hasn't decided yet if he will call plays from the box or from the field. During the preseason, Dorsey called plays from the box and did so with the Bills. While he's leaning towards being up in the box, Dorsey said they are continuing to evaluate as they prepare for the matchup against the Ravens and will make a final decision closer to the game.
Dorsey will be communicating the most with QB Jameis Winston, who earned the start for Week 8 following QB Deshaun Watson's season-ending Achilles injury. Winston took reps during OTAs and training camp and Dorsey saw how they could utilize Winston's skillset in their system. Now, as he steps onto the field to lead the offense, Dorsey said they want to make sure Winston is comfortable in the offensive plan.
"We've been with Ken since training camp. His voice has always been in my ear through meeting rooms and even on the field," Winston said. "So, I'm excited that he gets another opportunity to go out there and dial up some great plays."
As the Browns look for their first win over a division opponent in Week 8 in the Ravens, they are focused on improving their level of execution offensively.
"I think with the guys in this room, there's a lot of pride," Dorsey said. "There's a lot of pride in this building, and a lot of guys who want to do the right things for this city, for this fan base, from the players and from the coaching staff. So, we want to go out and prepare our tails off, yesterday, today, tomorrow, and so on until game day. And so, we could go out and play fast and fly around. […] We're going to put ourselves in position to make sure that we're doing the right things to go out and play fast and confident on game day. And that's what we want to do. We want to go out and fly around and do the right things for this city and for this fan base."
