Mike Vrabel on new Browns role: 'You can work hard and have a good time at the same time'

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — There are NFL coaches who are as intense as Mike Vrabel . But the coaches whose intensity surpasses that of the former Tennessee Titans head coach are very small in number.

Vrabel , though, has found himself in a weird place as training camps across the league get underway. The Akron native's still heavily involved in a football team's preparations for the upcoming season, yet he's not technically a member of the coaching staff or front office.

That's the kind of world in which Vrabel finds himself in his role as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns . During their camp in the mountains of West Virginia at The Greenbrier, he's been out on the field with the players, teaching tight end David Njoku blocking techniques and racing backup quarterback Jameis Winston between drills.

Yet, when the Browns kick off the regular season on Sept. 8 at home against the Dallas Cowboys , what will Vrabel's role be that day?

"There won't be a role on gameday," Vrabel said Tuesday. "That's something that we had talked about prior to doing this, which is the right fit for everybody. And so I'm going to try to do anything that they ask me to do and be available to help throughout the week and then move ahead to the next opponent. So that will all kind of happen organically, but that's where I see it being right now, just based off my conversations with (head coach) Kevin (Stefanski)."

So Vrabel will get all of the joy that someone whose last decade and a half in football has been spent coaching can draw from the practice field. However, the stress that came with being on the sideline on gameday, he can avoid — at least somewhat. Vrabel won't always been a detached observer from afar when the Browns play this season, not considering the time he's already invested in the organization.

"I mean, there'll be games that I'll be at and support as a fan and have a vested interest in our players playing well and then us winning," Vrabel said.

Mike Vrabel on Browns consulting job: Akron native Mike Vrabel sees Browns opportunity as chance to 'learn myself along the way'

Winning has been something Vrabel has enjoyed quite a bit of, both as a player and a coach. When the winning stopped in Tennessee the last two years, though, so did his time as Titans coach.

The man who won two AFC South titles, made three playoff appearances, was the AFC's No. 1 seed in 2021 and had five consecutive winning seasons to start his head coaching career was suddenly out of a job. The news stunned just about everyone, except for Vrabel.

"Oh, nothing surprises me," Vrabel said. "This is my 25th NFL training camp, so I would say that nothing surprises me in the National Football League. That's part of the job. I think it's disappointing. I think you're disappointed that you couldn't do the job the way that they wanted it or they envisioned it."

Which leads back to a couple of practices fields nestled among the wall of trees that cover the mountains that provide a natural barrier between The Greenbrier and the rest of civilization. On these fields, Vrabel has looked anything but the man who's only two weeks away from his 49th birthday.

Instead, you can squint and see the 30-something who was just breaking into the coaching business at his college alma mater, Ohio State, or even the player who won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in the 2000s. Vrabel is right at home playing linebacker on a skeleton defense during an install period, acting 20 years younger.

And that may be the point of the whole exercise for Vrabel, who tried to land another head coaching job after being fired in Tennessee. He even got three interviews, but none came through with job offers.

Instead of sitting at home and relaxing, though, Vrabel jumped at the ultimate win-win opportunity. The Browns get to mine his vast football knowledge through the consultant role.

And for Vrabel? Well, there's something to getting back to the root of what drew him to the sport, back when he was still a kid running around the fields of Summit County.

"I think it's a good reminder," Vrabel said. "I think it's always a good reminder as you reflect on ultimately what this is and it's a game and I get that it's a business and it's a competitive business, but not losing sight of that and not losing sight of being able to enjoy it along the way. You can work hard and have a good time at the same time. I think that that's something that's always important to remember."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Mike Vrabel on new Browns role: 'You can work hard and have a good time at the same time'