As expected, the Browns have hired as their offensive coordinator a guy who on three prior occasions has done well enough as an offensive coordinator to get hired as a head coach.
Norv Turner, fired last month by the Chargers, becomes the new offensive coordinator in Cleveland.
“Norv has been one of the most respected offensive coaches in the NFL over the last 25-30 years,” Browns coach Rob Chudzinski said, “and he has had a tremendous amount of success at each one of his stops – as a position coach, coordinator and head coach. I was able to learn a great deal in the time that I worked for him in San Diego, and I expect that having him as our offensive coordinator will make a big impact on that side of the ball.”
Turner first rose to prominence as the offensive coordinator of the Cowboys in the early 1990s, parlaying that assignment into two Super Bowl rings and the head-coaching job in Washington. His affinity for feeding the ball to a workhorse running back is good news for Trent Richardson, which at a minimum balances out concerns arising from Chudzinski’s revolving-door use of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. On five occasions, Turner’s offense has created the NFL regular-season rushing champ.
The Browns also have hired receivers coach Scott Turner, offensive line coach Mike Sullivan, and strength and conditioning coach Brad Roll. Special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor and offensive line coach George Warhop will remain with the team.
It appears that the Browns will, at least for now, have two offensive line coaches.
The team has said nothing about the defensive staff, which could mean that a new one will be hired.