Report: Van Pelt will be offensive coordinator

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Browns are hiring Bengals quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt as offensive coordinator.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has chosen Alex Van Pelt to be his new offensive coordinator, according to a league source.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was first to report the news.

Van Pelt was the quarterbacks coach for the Bengals in in 2018 and 2019. Prior to that he spent six seasons with the Packers — 201213 as running backs coach and 2014-17 as quarterback coach, where he tutored Aaron Rodgers.

Van Pelt, an NFL quarterback with Kansas City in 1993 and 1994 and with Buffalo from 1994-2003, has coached in the NFL since 2006 when he broke in with the Bills as an offensive quality control coach. He was the Bills offensive coordinator in 2009 after making the jump from quality control to quarterback coach in 2008 — an unusually quick jump up the coaching ladder.

The 2009 season was the only one in which Van Pelt was an offensive coordinator. The Bills ranked 30th in total offense and 28th in points scored on their way to a 6-10 finish. Dick Jauron was fired as head coach with seven games to play in the 2009 season. Perry Fewell finished out the season going 3-4.

Van Pelt was not retained when Chan Gailey took over as Bills head coach in 2010. Van Pelt was the quarterbacks coach at Tampa Bay in 2010-11 before going to Green Bay as running backs coach.

Nothing has been announced yet, but the fact Van Pelt has not been an offensive coordinator since 2009 and then for only one unproductive season indicates Stefanski might be leaning toward calling his own plays as head coach of the Browns. Stefanski was noncommittal when asked that question at his introductory news conference.

“I think we’re going to work through that,” Stefanski said on Jan. 14. “I think as we put the staff together, if there is someone that’s on staff that I feel gives us the best chance to win — that person will call the plays. It doesn’t have to be me. But I think I want to work through that and see as we put the staff together.”

Stefanski was the Vikings offensive coordinator for the last three games of 2018 and all of 2019.

In other news, the Browns have hired Jeff Howard as defensive backs coach, according to a league source.