Todd Haley Will Bring the Browns Offense to Relevance  

One of the better moves made by the Cleveland Browns this offseason was hiring former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley. More importantly, Hue Jackson has vowed to give Haley “total autonomy” over the offense. That’s good news for Browns fans, as Haley steered the Steelers to a Top-Five NFL offense every season since 2014.

Haley has served as the primary play caller in each of the last 11 seasons with stints in Arizona, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. His offense should translate well to the new and improved Browns roster. Tyrod Taylor compares to Big Ben from a “keeping the play alive” standpoint. Roethlisberger does it more with his size to extend the play compared to Taylor using his elusiveness to avoid pressure. The Browns don’t have a Le’Veon Bell, but they do have a stable of running backs for Haley to develop. Duke Johnson’s consistency is worth noting. According to Field Yates of ESPN.com, he’s the only RB in the NFL with three straight seasons of 50+ catches and 500+ receiving yards. Free agent acquisition Carlos Hyde and rookie Nick Chubb are more than cable of handling the bulk of carries between the tackles.

No one can replicate what Antonio Brown does on a week-to-week basis, but the Browns improved receiving corps of Jarvis Landry, Josh Gordon, David Njoku, and Duke Johnson give Haley a plethora of offensive weapons to work with. Landry led the NFL in receptions last season with 112 catches, a career-high. He has posted over 80 catches, 750 yards, and at least four touchdowns in each of his four NFL seasons, despite unreliable quarterback play in Miami. Haley has shown he’s able to scheme receivers open that demand a lot of attention. If Josh Gordon can stay on the field and Corey Coleman takes another step with the added talent around him, Haley will get to pick his poison when it comes to attacking defenses this fall.

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