The Cleveland Browns have a new offensive line coach this season for the first time since 2020. Andy Dickerson was hired this off-season to replace all-time great Bill Callahan, who traveled to Tennessee to coach under his son, Brian. Dickerson then took the open position not long after, showing the confidence that Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski must have in him. So, let’s take a deeper dive into the man who will now control the trenches in Cleveland.
Dickerson is a 19-year NFL coaching veteran, having spent time with various organizations. He even spent time in Cleveland in the 2009-10 season, where he would have worked with Browns legend, Joe Thomas. He immediately went to the Jets the following season where he actually worked under Bill Callahan. He’s also spent time in Washington and New England prior to those stints in Cleveland and New York.
Where Dickerson really made a name for himself was in St. Louis and Los Angeles with the Rams from 2012-2020, including their 2018 Super Bowl run where they would lose to the Patriots. He was an assistant offensive line coach during this time in a uniquely strong Sean McVay offense. The Rams used a lot of motion and pre-snap adjustments to gain numbers and advantages in the run game. Stefanski and the new offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey, could benefit greatly from insight into that sort of scheme from Dickerson.
Following his tenure with the Rams, Dickerson spent three years with Seattle. He worked as their offensive run game coordinator for one year before becoming the offensive line coach. He helped a Seattle team that had really struggled running the ball since the days of a prime Marshawn Lynch. Seattle was still by no means a top-of-the-league rushing attack, but the offense managed to run the ball effectively despite the injuries at quarterback to Geno Smith throughout the year. It is incredibly difficult to run the ball when teams know your quarterback has a significantly injured elbow. They finished in the bottom five of the NFL in total rushing yards with 1,580. However, they averaged 4.1 yards per carry which put them in the top half of the league. They didn’t run as often as others, but they did run the ball very efficiently.
Numbers are great and they never really lie, but the scheme and culture fit is what may be most important. Looking at Dickerson’s work in the run game last year, there are many similarities to what the Browns love to do. Andy seems to love using multiple different styles of running the ball. Many teams like to stick mostly to either zone or power concepts and mix in others. They want to predominantly use their strengths as a unit. What’s great about Dickerson and the Brown’s shared style, is that they love and will use ALL run concepts. Multiple doesn’t even begin to describe it. Everything from pin and pull to gap and zone schemes. Dickerson recently explained in a training camp interview that he will make use of the offensive line unit’s versatility.
“Everything’s at our disposal. Whatever that week is going to be the best thing for us to win.”
That is the exact type of mindset that I believe is needed in the Cleveland offense. Attack in the ways that will win, because of the versatility of the roster built by Andrew Berry.
Another underrated point that fans should be excited about is Dickerson’s attitude and coaching style. Various mic’d-up videos of his time in Seattle and so far in Cleveland show a man who loves to teach and is ready to work at all times. He is constantly preaching attention to detail and effort. He’s making things simple and fun for his players. His unit will be one that does not have wasted movement and will not lack a work ethic.
In terms of pass blocking, Cleveland NEEDS to protect Deshaun Watson in the backfield. Healthy quarterback play is vital for the Browns to make a deep playoff run. Relying on backup quarterback magic likely won’t lead to the playoffs twice in a row. Watson’s play itself is a whole other topic, but keeping him healthy is the start.
The Seahawks gave up the 23rd most sacks last year, keeping them top ten in the league in terms of pass protection from that aspect. Geno Smith being an intelligent veteran who knows when to get rid of the ball certainly helped that at times. Regardless, I think this Browns roster should be able to hold up in pass protection with the nature of Stefanski’s offense. Using extra linemen and tight ends to block has been an integral part of the game plan under Kevin. Ken Dorsey and Dickerson’s units both heavily incorporated RPOs(run-pass options) last year as well. This could be great for Watson to get the ball out quickly and protect himself. The threat of this powerful run game and the weapons at receiver and tight end should keep teams from committing to stopping only one option.
Overall, I love this hire. Losing Bill Callahan is a loss that honestly cannot be overstated, but getting a young veteran coach still on the rise is certainly a solid fill for the void left by him. The fit seems to work culturally and schematically. And I think that as fans, we have learned to trust decisions made by Andrew Berry.
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