So sad :QB Deshaun Watson was the reason behind Browns’ OC Alex Van Pelt’s firing

QB Deshaun Watson was the reason behind Browns’ OC Alex Van Pelt’s firing

When the Cleveland Browns fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in

January, it was a dramatic and sudden move. The rationale behind that choice has emerged several weeks later.

On Friday, February 2, Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated spoke on the Boston-based “Zolak and Bertrand Show.” Van

Pelt will take over as the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator going forward

Breer brought Cleveland two news items of significant importance during the

radio hit. The first was that Deshaun Watson’s lack of improvement over the

previous two years was the main factor in the front office’s decision to fire Van Pelt. The second was that, given Van

Pelt’s crucial position within the team, the coaching staff members “were floored” by the decision.

Deshaun Watson’s progress has been frustrating for ownership and [chief

strategy officer] Paul DePodesta, not head coach Kevin Stefanski, which is

why he was let go in Cleveland. I don’t think the decision-makers truly understood how valuable Van Pelt was to

that staff. When they fired him for two reasons, the other staff members were completely taken aback.

First things first: after 11 games with four different quarterbacks, your fourth

and fifth tackles, and without Nick Chubb, how do you fire the offensive coordinator?

But the real secret is the other reason. He served as the staff’s glue. If you know

[Stefanski], you know he’s a great guy, but he’s not the gregarious type. He has a very arid personality. Despite his

seeming gregariousness, he has a good sense of humor. When guys were coming in and going out, Alex was the one who

kept the staff together. He’s a guy who brought everyone in that building together.

To be fair to the Browns and their decision to let Van Pelt go, Watson hasn’t

performed well in his two seasons as a player. To be fair, Van Pelt hasn’t played

much, and the opportunities he has had to improve have been few and far between.

In exchange for Watson, Cleveland had to sell the farm, giving up three first-

round picks as part of a bigger haul that was traded to the Houston Texans in 2022. After that, the Browns gave Watson

$230 million in fully guaranteed money, even though the quarterback had not played a snap in the regular season for a

full year and was almost certainly going to be suspended by the league for his behavior off the field.

Watson’s ability to practice with the team was severely restricted for the eleven games that he was suspended. He

returned for the final six games of the season, but according to Pro Football Reference, he was mainly unimpressive,

completing 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions in six starts (3-3).

Watson’s play was somewhat influenced by a shoulder injury that required

season-ending surgery in November, but he was already talented before that

injury, and missing the final two months of the season further hindered Van Pelt’s efforts to rehabilitate Watson.

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