Ken Dorsey was a one-and-done coach with the Browns, as was Andy Dickerson
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has been the play-caller since he was installed as the head guy five years ago. So, this past season, when he handed the reins to OC Ken Dorsey, it surprised a lot of folks.
This was also the time period when starting QB Deshaun Watson became injured and landed on IR after surgery. Suddenly, backup quarterback Jameis Winston was the starter and at the same time, Dorsey became the play caller.
At season’s end, the Browns released Dorsey along with OL coach Andy Dickerson. In late January, Dorsey had an interview with the Dallas Cowboys for their vacant OC position. Now, the Cowboys have hired Dorsey, but as a pass-game specialist, according to ESPN on Monday:
Ken Dorsey is set to be the #Cowboys pass-game specialist, source says. https://t.co/aS3FbtoqFk
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 10, 2025
Dickerson also found a new position, with the Las Vegas Raiders:
Andy Dickerson, formerly the Browns and Seahawks OL coach, is joining Pete Carroll’s Raiders staff as assistant OL coach.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) February 11, 2025
After their very rough one season in Cleveland, Dorsey and Dickerson landed on their feet.
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Winston ignited a stagnant offense and was exciting to watch; and brutal to watch as he continued his bad habit of throwing interceptions like they were beads off of a Mardi Gras float.
In Winston’s first start, he threw for 334 yards with three touchdowns. In the following game, he tossed three picks. He had 395 yards in a loss to the lowly New Orleans Saints and 497 yards in the 41-32 loss to the Denver Broncos. In that contest, he threw four touchdowns. He also connected on three interceptions.
The Browns did defeat both the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers with Winston under center and Dorsey’s plays.
Winston was benched after this three-pick performance against the defending Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs.
All the while, Dorsey was complimented on his play-call abilities. Sort of.
It wasn’t just the act of installing a new quarterback that prompted Stefanski to give up the playcalling duties. It also freed him up for more time in meetings and the ability to now attend meetings that had to do with the defense, something he rarely attended.
Without Winston’s explosive numbers, the offense plummeted into obscurity finishing the season ranked 28th in total offense and dead last in scoring. Plus, the Browns went 2-5 under the Winston/Dorsey team.
Winston was benched after tossing eight interceptions in three games and Dorian Thompson-Robinson along with Bailey Zappe finished out the season. In those three games, the Browns only scored six, three, and 10 points, respectively.
Dickerson’s offensive line struggling didn’t help Dorsey with some reporting that Mike Vrabel basically took over as the offensive line coach sometime during the season.
The Cowboys have stated that Dorsey’s new position will be an on-field role as he will be working with new head coach Brian Schottenheimer and their new OC Klayton Adams. Neither Adams nor Dorsey will call plays for Dallas as Schottenheimer has announced he will take on those duties.
Dorsey played QB seven years in the NFL including a stint with Cleveland from 2006-2008, and one season in the CFL. He had 16 NFL starts. With the Browns, he played in five games with three starts and went 0-3-0. With the Toronto Argonauts, he was the backup QB.
Dorsey has coached for the Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, Browns, and now Dallas. He has also been a college scout with the Panthers and was the Assistant Athletic Director for Florida International University for one year.