Kevin Stefanski found his partner in crime.
The first-year Cleveland Brown’s head coach needed an offensive coordinator and he did not have to look too far to find him.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Browns agreed with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback’s coach Alex Van Pelt to become the next offensive coordinator for the Browns.
The #Browns have agreed to terms with #Bengals QB coach Alex Van Pelt, source says. Cleveland takes a good one from a division rival. https://t.co/h43FlbmFDu
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 30, 2020
Playing Career
Alex Van Pelt played at the University of Pittsburgh, where he played quarterback.
When he graduated, he was the school record holder for single-season passing (3,163 yards), which was previously held by Dan Marino.
His record was eventually broken in 2003 by Rod Rutherford.
He went pro after his senior season and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the eighth round of the draft, but was released during training camp.
In 1993, Van Pelt played three games for the Kansas City Chiefs after Joe Montana sustained a hamstring injury.
He enjoyed a 10-year period of playing backup for the Buffalo Bills, where he finished his career with 16 touchdowns, 24 interceptions, and 11 starts.
Coaching Career
After a brief stint broadcasting as a color commentator for the Bills from 2004 to 2005, Van Pelt joined the coaching ranks.
He started as a volunteer quarterbacks coach for the University of Buffalo in 2005.
Later in 2005, he joined the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe, which was the NFL’s developmental league.
He rejoined the Bills as an offensive quality control coach in 2006 until 2008 where he was promoted to quarterbacks coach.
He held that position until 2010 but was fired along with the rest of the staff after a 6-10 record.
Van Pelt spent two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the team’s quarterbacks coach but was fired when Raheem Morris and the rest of the staff was let go in 2012.
He joined the Green Bay Packers as a running backs coach and held that position for two seasons.
In 2014, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach and stayed with the Packers until 2018 when his contract expired.
The last two seasons Van Pelt has coached quarterbacks for the Bengals.
Alex Van Pelt
•8th round pick in 1993.
•Played for Pittsburgh, KC, and Buffalo until 2003
•Coached in NFL Europe
•Bills OC in 2009
•Packers assistant (RB’s and QB’s on McCarthys staff from 2012–17)
•Bengals QB coach 2018-19
Now gets a chance to be #Browns OC.— Jeremy Somerville (@SomervilleCLE) January 30, 2020
Why Choose Van Pelt?
Van Pelt has gained traction as one of the better quarterbacks coaches in the league.
When Van Pelt was not resigned in Green Bay, it reportedly did not sit well with Aaron Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers really liked Alex Van Pelt as his QB coach, and wasn’t pleased when he was not renewed by #Packers. After a stint with #Bengals, Van Pelt, a former #Bills QB, is the new offensive coordinator of the #Browns and QB Baker Mayfield. https://t.co/uIZAA3x5PC
— Mike Clemens (@MikeClemensNFL) January 30, 2020
Final Thoughts
Many Bengals fans will be upset to see Van Pelt go.
The Bengals have the No. 1 pick in the draft and are expected to draft LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.
Now, fans will see him develop Baker Mayfield just hours away.
Stefanski is starting to fill out his staff and Van Pelt appears to be one of those guys he wanted to come aboard.
Nice bit of news here. I like Alex Van Pelt, he is a great fit for The Browns and I think perfect for Baker Mayfield. I think he has potential to make Baker a lot better than what he is, and if that’s the case, expect 2020 to rock!