In recent years, the Cleveland Browns had what many considered one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and some of the credit for that went to Bill Callahan, who was their offensive line coach from 2020 to 2023.
This year, however, Callahan is with the Tennessee Titans, and Andy Dickerson replaced him.
Former Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said on “The Bullpen” that the Browns are missing Callahan’s toughness and insistence on playing a physical brand of football.
“Coach Callahan’s mentality is very tough, very physical. His standard is very high. When a guy like Bill Callahan moves on, it changes everything,” Rivera said.
Callahan had previously served on the coaching staffs of multiple teams, including the then-Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets.
Coming into this season, Pro Football Focus ranked the Browns’ offensive line as the fourth-best in the NFL.
While Sharp Football analysis ranked that offensive line third in the league a few days ago, that ranking could be misleading, and there is room for improvement.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson continues to struggle in Cleveland, and he has been sacked 16 times in the first three games of the season, which is a league high.
Their running game has also been lackluster to start the season — they rank 15th in yards gained per rush attempt, 24th in rushing yards and 27th in rushing attempts.
Obviously, one factor is the continued absence of Nick Chubb, one of the game’s best running backs, who suffered a severe knee injury early last season.
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