The Cleveland Browns have always been known as a running offensive team. They have had some of the greatest running backs in the history of the league, such as Jim Brown, Mike Pruitt, Leroy Kelly, Marion Motley, Nick Chubb, Earnest Byner, Greg Pruitt, and Eric Metcalf, to name a few.
1951 NFL Championship Game - Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Rams - December 23, 1951 Marion Motley #76
Legendary head coaches such as Paul Brown, Marty Schottenheimer, Sam Rutigliano, and Bill Belichick all ran the rock down the throats of their defenders. It was Cleveland’s calling card.
When Kevin Stefanski took over as the head man in 2020, his offense ran the ball and featured the tight end. His first roster went 11-5-0 and went to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Stefanski was named the NFL Coach of the Year. That squad pounded the ball with Chubb as the lead back, Andy Janovich was added to play fullback, and D’Ernest Johnson was Chubb’s fill-in.
But after two seasons, the fullback complement was gone. Kareem Hunt was signed to give Cleveland this one-two punch, which worked well at times but mainly took carries away from Chubb, who annually was on the cusp of capturing the NFL rushing title.
But one thing for certain: the Browns ran the ball.
With so much of the offense dedicated to the run game, all of Cleveland’s offensive linemen were hired and drafted because of their run-blocking skills.
Cleveland Browns v Jacksonville Jaguars Ethan Pocic #55, Joel Bitonio #75
Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images
Under Stefanski’s offense, Cleveland’s rushing attack has been ranked as follows: 2020 #3; 2021 #4; 2022 #6; 2023 #12; and 2024 #29.
Every year a decline until the bottom fell out last season. Why?
2024 is pretty easy to summarize because of the failed attempt by OC Ken Dorsey after just a single season. Cleveland started four quarterbacks and allowed 66 sacks, the second most in the league. They also surrendered 219 pressures, which became 28.66% of all passing plays.
Dorsey had issues with being on the same page as some of his offensive coaches. He didn’t want much input from his quarterbacks, and he definitely was not as committed to the run game as the Browns wanted. The West Coast-based scheme that Stefanski ran in his first four seasons as the head coach was completely gone.
These were the exact same problems that existed when Dorsey was with Buffalo and were repeated in Cleveland.
I hate to imagine him leaving, but the man has earned the right to do so in whatever fashion he deems necessary.
— Wade Wilson (@too33deep) February 23, 2025
The end result dropped Cleveland from an 11-win team that had secured the highest Wild Card seed in the playoffs, to a 14-loss ballclub all in one swoop.
Going 3-14-0 really hurts. It does. And the fact that the Browns had done so much good the year before makes the plummet even more devastating.
In an interview here on DBN with Browns Hall of Fame offensive tackle Joe Thomas leading up to his Hall of Fame induction, the question was asked after going 1-15-0 the year before if the 0-16-0 season broke him.
His answer:
“I think before that season was over, I was broken mentally. The 1-15 was hard enough. And then to go 0-7 before I got hurt my last year was just as difficult. Because as a competitor, to get the most out of yourself, you have to convince yourself that this is the week. We have a great game plan and will finally turn things around with a win and pole vault us into a nice winning streak. And then when it doesn’t happen over and over again, it just gets increasingly more challenging to convince yourself that it is indeed a great game plan and that we have the right players to turn it around.”
There isn’t a single athlete out there who likes and accepts losing. They train tirelessly for positive outcomes, and it hurts deeply. The competitive nature is geared toward excelling, not failure.
A lost season
Everybody has a breaking point.
Cleveland Browns Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer
Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Back in the 1940s and into the 1950s, the Browns were always the league’s best team under Coach Brown. They won five consecutive championships and went to the title game 10 years in a row across two leagues. Under Blanton Collier from 1963-1970, Cleveland won one NFL title, went to the playoffs five seasons, and lost three times in the NFL Championship Game. With Schottenheimer as the head coach, he didn’t have a single losing season and went to the playoffs every year.
Those are the types of situations that were being viewed after the success in 2023. Finally, the start of a playoff run that would span over several seasons. Maybe an AFC Championship Game appearance with the slight hopes that the franchise could once again compete in the title game.
But the Browns stumbled hard in 2024. The offensive scheme was horrible each week. The defense and special teams played well enough to win games, but it takes a whole to be successful in the NFL.
The result was 14 losses. They got whipped in numerous contests, including a 33-17 beatdown by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 and a 35-14 butt-whipping from the New Orleans Saints in Week 10. Neither of these teams had a good record at season’s end. Neither did the New York Football Giants or the Las Vegas Raiders, or the Miami Dolphins, each considered some of the worst clubs in the league. But Cleveland lost to them all.
#Browns LG Joel Bitonio says he’s leaning a certain way on retirement or not, but isn’t ready to share it.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) February 22, 2025
As with Joe Thomas, the 14-loss season broke Browns offensive guard Joel Bitonio. After the season had concluded, he considered hanging up his cleats.
It happens. Cleveland center J.C. Tretter was released after the 2021 season, in which his salary would have jumped to $10 million. He was called to come back when Cleveland had center issues with Nick Harris’ injury. Tretter’s response to returning to the game? No, thank you.
Bitonio appeared to be done.
And why not? He will turn 34 this season, which is on the wrong side of 30. He played 11 seasons in an occupation that is usually only five years. He has been voted to the Pro Bowl for the last seven years. Bitonio was named First Team All-Pro twice (2021, 2022) and Second Team All-Pro three times (2018-2020). As a rookie, he was selected to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
What’s left to accomplish? He had been named the Browns “Man of the Year” in 2022 and a nominee for the “Walter Payton Award.” Bitonio is the only three-time Professional Football Writers “Dino Lucarelli Good Guy” recipient, which recognizes a player’s professionalism and cooperation with media members. There is a new NFL award that will be given out to the league’s best offensive lineman this year, so he has that to look forward to. But there aren’t any other personal goals left.
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Team-wise, Bitonio has never won a division crown, has played in just three playoff games, going 1-2, has not once tasted the AFC Championship Game, and at no time sniffed a Super Bowl.
The goal as a player is to win championships. But after losing 14 games, the Browns are not even close to being competitive. DE Myles Garrett recognized that after last season and requested a trade to a playoff contender, which Bitonio would probably welcome if given the choice.
But he has stuck it out in Cleveland for better or worse. Seven pieces of Pro Bowl hardware all lined up nice and tidy on his fireplace mantle are nice, but would he trade them all for one Super Bowl ring?
New York Jets v Cleveland Browns Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images
More than any other position on a football team, the offensive line is the most team-oriented. They are five individuals – yes. But they come to work as one unit. When one member makes mistakes, it affects the entire group and the unmitigated offense, for that matter.
After the 2024 season was over, Garrett wasn’t the only player who had something on their mind. Bitonio and RT Jack Conklin, both have been named league All-Pros, discussed and advocated for the Browns to return to Stefanski’s West Coast-based scheme.
The season resulted in a disappointing 24th-ranked pass-blocking efficiency rating of 83.6 and being ranked the NFL’s fourth-worst rushing club. Bitonio was the offensive line’s few bright spots as he provided some stability and earned yet another Pro Bowl, but the O-line’s overall performance was subpar. Injuries to various members dotted each week’s lineup.
Cleveland’s offense had to change to meet the needs of QB Deshaun Watson’s strengths, and so they increased its use of spread formations and run-pass options. Stefanski had always featured a more pocket passer than an option quarterback, and here he was stuck with Watson and having to alter his offensive scheme to meet the needs of one guy.
Not to mention that the offensive line was now without the best teacher in the league in Bill Callahan. Suddenly, the Browns were trying to change offensive schemes without their best coach.
Cleveland’s greatest success during the Stefanski era is what he is most comfortable with. Now, the Browns have elevated Tommy Rees to the OC position, in which he has had a lot of success running the offenses of both Alabama and Notre Dame.
Joel Bitonio’s retirement
Losing 14 games after tasting success the season before became Bitonio’s kryptonite. Was he done?
At the end of the season, he took some time to decide if he wanted to continue playing professional football. With or without the Browns. He mulled it over for two months. His wife, Courtney, whom he met as a college freshman, had her input. The couple has a young daughter and son and lives in a comfortable four-bedroom/3.5 bath house in Avon, Ohio.
It was truly a decision. After all, an athlete puts in all those hours in the weight room, watches what he eats, a lot of time is taken away from his family, and their entire focus on earth is spent dedicated to being ready on gamedays.
Did Bitonio even like the game any longer? Was he still an elite player at this level?
The Browns didn’t even have a starting quarterback all the while Bitonio was trying to decide what to do. Watson was hurt, and the projections for his return were probably the 2026 season. To make matters worse, Chubb wasn’t the same back since his return from his second knee surgery and then broke his foot late in the season. Chubb had always been Cleveland’s bellcow at running back and one of the league’s best backs. His status going forward was murky.
That was two of the Browns’ most valued positions on the offense, and now what? Why would Bitonio return to the unknown?
Stefanski fired his O-Line coach, Andy Dickerson, so Bitonio would have yet another position coach to deal with, plus another offensive coordinator, although he was already familiar with Rees.
Was there any good news?
Bitonio admitted that he wasn’t ready to quit the game. He had several dinners with the new offensive line coach, Mike Bloomgren, and talked about philosophies and schemes with the former Rice head coach and Callahan protégé. Bitonio liked what he heard.
He’s too good for this franchise. He deserves better
— Brian Seevers (@Arkenity) June 2, 2025
Perhaps Bitonio was wanting to know if the Browns were moving on from Watson or not. But what Bitonio really wanted to hear was what would be the offense’s plans would be going forward – specifically, the run game. Which appears to be rebuilt.
Bloomgren told Bitonio that all of the off-season preparation would be focused on returning to Stefanski’s offensive roots. The Browns are going to run the ball.
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What a lot of fans don’t realize is that offensive linemen do not like to pass block. It is work. A player spends all day backpedaling against a guy who is five times faster, and it amplifies the amount of body control and muscles an offensive lineman must generate in order to last an entire game.
Think about it: most defensive lines in today’s NFL rotate guys in and out all game. But the offensive line is five guys all game long. And every play, they are engaged with a defender. It’s not like a receiver or a cornerback who makes contact occasionally. Every single down, every offensive lineman becomes entangled with a guy who is just as big and just as strong as they are. For four quarters. Without any breaks.
Run blocking is an advantage for the offensive line. First off, they know where the ball is going. For another, they can use their mass to move guys. Number 3: The defender’s rushing speed is no longer an asset. It is difficult to drop back 40 or 50 times a game to pass block.
What was explained to Bitonio is that from the installs, the 2025 season will be going back to what Stefanski was known for.
Still, would Bitonio play again? Family was the most important piece of the puzzle for him. His children are elementary age. Bitonio had conversations with both Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry about the offense and where this group was headed.
Both men convinced Bitonio on at least some of the offseason plans. It helped that the entire offensive line that was ranked #3 in the league just a few short years ago was all returning with the exception of LT Jedrick Wills. But the Browns have Dawand Jones and Cornelius Lucas as experienced players to fill that void that he will be playing next to.
And it’s not like Cleveland would fold because Bitonio decided to retire. They drafted Zak Zinter in the third round of the 2024 NFL strictly to become either Bitonio or Wyatt Teller’s replacement at guard one day. This offseason, Berry signed veteran Teven Jenkins as a quality backup. Jenkins is 6’-6” and 321 pounds and has played in 45 NFL games with 38 starts.
But the meals Bitonio shared with Bloomgren seemed to tip the scales for Bitonio. What he wanted was the knowledge that the offensive line coaching staff wouldn’t regress the way Dickerson did when he wound up secretly supplanted by his own assistant, Roy Istvan, and eventually Mike Vrabel. This group was used to leadership and wanted that to continue.
New York Jets v Cleveland Browns Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images
Bloomgren has coached under Callahan once upon a time and brings that drill sergeant personality to the room that is needed with the offensive line. It means being an asshole when that is required, and a teacher the other portions of his day.
Bitonio informed the team this spring that his retirement plans would be put off.
Get ready for the Browns to return with a run-first ground attack centered on an experienced quarterback in Joe Flacco, a lot of tight end play featuring David Njoku and rookie Harold Fannin, plus a dominating, experienced offensive line centered on ball control and physical play.