The Cleveland Browns continue to change up the coaching staff.
It is unusual that it took six weeks after the NFL season for an incumbent coach to make this decision, but it reportedly finally happened.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, the team’s head coach since 2020, will be without the services of special teams coordinator Mike Priefer in 2023.
Priefer was one of two holdovers from the previous coaching staff (the other is running backs coach Stump Mitchell) and with the team since 2019.
NFL Insider Josina Anderson is the first to report this.
I’m told the #Browns have parted ways with Special Teams Coordinator Mike Priefer, per league source.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) February 21, 2023
Browns Continue To Try To Find Winning Combination
The Browns finished the 2022 season with a disappointing 7-11 record.
Defensive coordinator Joe Woods was abruptly fired after the regular season ended.
He has since been replaced by Jim Schwartz.
Browns Special Teams Has Been Lackluster
In some ways, it is a surprise that this took so long.
The Browns’ special teams unit has not been great in the past couple of seasons.
Sloppy onside kicks and miscues have been costly.
At the end of the season, Stefanski was noticeably vague about Priefer’s future with the team.
#Browns HC Kevin Stefanski on whether STC Mike Priefer will return: "I haven't had a chance to sit down with every coach. Those are all things we're working through."
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) January 9, 2023
Priefer was involved with drafting LSU kicker Cade York in 2022, and he had previously served as interim coach in 2020 when Stefanski was out with COVID-19.
It is unclear what the status of the Browns’ assistant special teams coach Stephen Bravo-Brown is, given the news of Priefer’s ousting.
Other Browns Coaching Staff Vacancies
The Browns also need to fill vacancies created by members of its 2022 staff leaving for new jobs.
They include Jeff Howard, defensive backs and defensive passing game coordinator since 2022, who will be the Los Angeles Chargers linebackers coach in 2023.
Chris Kiffin was the Browns’ defensive line coach from 2020-2022, and he has since moved on to become the Houston Texans’ linebackers coach.
And Drew Petzing is the most recent coach poached by a new team.
Petzing, the 2022 quarterbacks coach for the Browns is now the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive coordinator.
These are the first major coaching changes in Kevin Stefanski’s tenure.
It will be interesting to see who the former NFL Coach of the Year selects to fill all of the vacant positions.
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