'It's really beneficial to have a history together': Cleveland Browns banking on continuity

CLEVELAND – Nobody may be better positioned to speak of a lack of continuity which has historically plagued the Browns for the past two decades than Joel Bitonio.

An All-Pro left guard, Bitonio was drafted in the second round of the 2014 draft. At the time, Ray Farmer was the general manager, Mike Pettine was the coach, Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator and Jim O'Neil was the defensive coordinator.

Since then, which is only eight years, Bitonio has played under four general managers and five head coaches, four of them full-time. There's been five full-time offensive coordinators and five more full-time defensive coordinators.

That's why Bitonio can appreciate why the Browns are entering this upcoming season with the same four individuals in those positions – general manager (Andrew Berry), coach (Kevin Stefanski), offensive coordinator (Alex Van Pelt) and defensive coordinator (Joe Woods) – for the third consecutive season.

"Oh, it’s huge," Bitonio said during last month's minicamp. "Usually if you have a new coach, you come into OTAs and you’re learning a whole new playbook. Now we’re putting some wrinkles in."

The 2022 season represents an unprecedented time for the Browns since their return to the NFL in 1999. It's the first time since then the same individuals have held those four positions for three consecutive seasons.

The benefit to the players is obvious. So, too, is the way it pays off for the coaches.

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In the NFL, coaching movement is commonplace, regardless of a team's overall stability. Stefanski, though, knows that what he has within his staff, especially at the coordinator level, including another mainstay in special teams coach Mike Priefer, is something that isn't to be taken for granted.

"Obviously, if you win, you'll have guys that are leaving that get other jobs or promotions," Stefanski said. "That's OK, too. Our coaches want to continue to grow, but in the meantime, when we're working together, I think it's really beneficial to have a history together and I can speak to moments in games when you have to make adjustments and you can go back to your library of games together and you can say, 'Remember that's the pressure we got week whatever versus this opponent.'"

Having the coaching staff continuity is one thing. Where the Browns really hope the payoff comes is with the combination of that coaching continuity with a roster that is largely the same as from the year before.

The quarterback room is obviously completely new, led by the change at the top with Deshaun Watson coming in via trade and Baker Mayfield going out in a different one. There's also a virtually new receiving corps, with the likes of Amari Cooper, Jakeem Grant and David Bell coming in this offseason.

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Still, the majority of the roster features holdovers from at least last season, if not longer. That creates a dynamic that could unlock a higher ceiling for the Browns.

"There’s obviously some new stuff for Deshaun, but right now it’s perfecting your craft, it’s learning the details of things," Bitonio said. "You get so much more detailed work than just putting in a playbook. It’s huge. You see some of those [teams] that have been together forever with coaches and quarterbacks and players and that stuff really does help."

That, of course, assumes the availability of certain players, most notably Watson. The quarterback is awaiting a decision from disciplinary officer Sue L. Robinson regarding any potential suspension for violations of the NFL's personal conduct policy for the allegations of sexual misconduct made by more than 20 women in lawsuits filed in the past year-plus.

That is out of the Browns' hands. So, too, is any of the outside noise regarding their potential, with or without Watson or anyone else.

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So even with the continuity across much of the roster, there's an understanding that it carries only so much weight on Sunday afternoons. The Browns understand that much through their own first-hand experiences.

"We had, I think, 11 out of 11 starters come back last year and how'd that season end?," right guard Wyatt Teller said. "Not trying to get morbid here but I think take everything with a grain of salt. I think the work we put in, a lot of teams are working hard. … We had all this hype and love and hoo-rah last year and we went below .500. If we can change that, come together, stop listening to the outside noise, just win some games, I think we'll be just fine."

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns banking on coaching, roster continuity