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When the 2024 head-coaching carousel came to an end, one of the most highly regarded coaches in the league was left as an odd man out. However, it was only a matter of time until Mike Vrabel joined a team for the 2024 season in some capacity.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry are hiring Mike Vrabel, the 2021 NFL Coach of the Year, to serve as a consultant.
The 48-year-old was fired by the Titans following the 2023 season after serving as their head coach since 2018.
Vrabel joining Cleveland’s coaching staff has “been in the works for a while,” per NFL Network’s Albert Breer. The two sides worked together at the NFL Scouting Combine and it was only a matter of time until he officially joined the franchise.
What Vrabel’s exact role will be is still being ironed out, but The Athletic’s Robert Mays says that Vrabel will “act as a sounding board” for Stefanski while also serving as a resource for a coaching staff with a lot of youth and turnover.
It is an interesting idea and a scary one for the rest of the league. The Browns already had the best defense in total yards allowed per game (270.2) in the league last season and Vrabel should only make it better.
Vrabel already has a good rapport with Cleveland defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who he brought aboard as a senior defensive assistant on the Tennessee Titans for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. That will only help the defense pick up right where is left off last season.
Vrabel also gets to return to Ohio, where he grew up in Akron and was a standout linebacker at Ohio State.
He must be disappointed he won’t be a head coach next season, but Vrabel has a chance to showcase his coaching ability with the Browns in 2024 and make the rest of the league regret passing up on signing him as their next head coach this offseason.
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