Browns coach Rob Chudzinski has reached into his recent past to find his team’s running backs coach.
John Settle was fired by the Panthers before Chudzinski left his post as the team’s offensive coordinator, but it clearly wasn’t because Chudzinski didn’t think he was a capable running backs coach. If he did, Settle wouldn’t have been hired by the Browns.
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer confirms a report from FootballScoop.com that Settle has been hired as a member of Chudzinski’s staff. Settle began his NFL coaching career as an offensive assistant with the Browns in 1995 and moved on to Baltimore and the college ranks before heading to Carolina.
In Cleveland, his main task will be maximizing the value of Trent Richardson, whose rookie year showed flashes of excellence amid a series of injuries that limited his output. The Panthers didn’t get what they wanted out of their backs last season, although Chudzinski doesn’t appear to think Settle was the reason for their underwhelming performance.
Settle played four years in the NFL with the Falcons, posting 1,024 yards and seven touchdowns in 1988 for a 5-11 Atlanta club. Settle was the first undrafted player since 1970 to cross the 1,000-yard mark and made the Pro Bowl that season.