On the afternoon of Wednesday January 8th, the news was released that the Cleveland Browns hired Mike Bloomgren as their new offensive line coach. Bloomgren was the head coach of Rice University from 2018 -2024. He replaces Andy Dickerson who was fired on the morning of January 5th.  This was right after the season ending loss in Baltimore to the Ravens 35-10. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was also fired that morning too. The swift hiring of an offensive line coach tells us and Browns fans that the team has a plan.

The relatively fast hiring of an offensive line coach shows that both Berry and Stefanski know that they have to execute a plan to right the ship, or they will be unemployed next season. Along with the offensive unit as a whole, the offensive line was most disappointing in 2024. The unit that was once considered a team strength is now a weakness and vulnerability. Exit interviews from offensive line veteran players guard Joel Bitonio and tackle Jack Conklin said what needed to be done for this team to compete. They said that they need to get back to the fundamentals and principles that made them successful in the recent past. That was the wide zone blocking scheme from Bill Callahan.

Early in Bloomgren’s assistant coaching career in the NFL, he served as an offensive quality control coach under Bill Callahan and Brian Schottenheimer with the New York Jets starting in 2007. He comes from the Bill Callahan coaching tree. Next to bringing back Bill Callahan himself, Bloomgren can be the next best thing. The offense and offensive line are being overhauled this offseason for the Cleveland Browns. The next step in their plan is hiring a new offensive coordinator. From the looks of this move, that will happen sooner than Browns fans may think.