'I want to win football games': Ken Dorsey not concerned about not calling Browns' plays

BEREA — There may have been some surprised that Browns coach Kevin Stefanski announced he would be the offensive play-caller. That group does not included the individual who some thought would be given that role: Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey .

“At the end of the day, from day one in this process of interviewing and all that, Kevin was very upfront and honest about everything, and you don’t always get that in the league," Dorsey said before Monday's training camp practice . "And he was very upfront. And so I knew it going in that there was going to be a process to go through, and at the end of the day I want to win football games, and Kevin’s a fantastic play-caller and I feel good about where we’re at.”

Play-calling was one of the favorite topics of the offseason. It immediately started when Dorsey was hired by Stefanski to replace Alex Van Pelt in late January.

Dorsey had been fired midway through last season by the Buffalo Bills after spending a season-and-a-half as their offensive coordinator. During his first season with the Bills, he helped quarterback Josh Allen to a second-place finish in the league's Most Valuable Player voting.

Stefanski, who is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, including last season, made the announcement on the play-calling duties on the first day of training camp practice July 25 at The Greenbrier in West Virginia. At the time, he said it was a decision that had been made with several months' worth of thought.

“I think that was, and again, Kevin could kind of attest where his decision thought process was and where his state of mind was in terms of making that decision," Dorsey said. "You know, I just know there was very open communication with me from him throughout the entire process, from the interview process to today.”

Right now, Dorsey's biggest responsibility is trying to help get quarterback Deshaun Watson back playing at a level that can help the Browns make a push for not just AFC playoff contention, but for a Super Bowl. The reason behind that is his work previously with Allen in Buffalo and, before that, with the Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton when he was among the league's top quarterbacks.

Now Dorsey is working with Watson, who isn't just coming off a major shoulder surgery last November but also off just 12 total starts in the last three seasons — all of them since being acquired by the Browns from the Houston Texans in 2022 — since he was last a Pro Bowler in 2020.

Monday was the eighth time in nine practices in training camp Watson threw in both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. The fact he's been able to do that has given Dorsey optimism for the season.

"I think he’s progressing well for us," Dorsey said. "I think he’s doing a really good job, one, managing his body, managing his shoulder, having great open communication with us to make sure it feels like it’s in the right space for him so he could go out and play confident, but physically out there throwing it. I think you saw him get some balls vertically downfield throughout camp, which is very encouraging to see and a great positive for us."

Dorsey has spoke of the necessity to get Watson "live reps" between now and the Sept. 8 season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. However, what that doesn't necessarily mean is to get him reps in a preseason game, such as the one Saturday afternoon against the Green Bay Packers.

The question of whether or not Watson plays in any preseason game, let alone Saturday's first one, has been one both Stefanski and Dorsey have said is forthcoming. The question about getting him live reps, though, is already in the process of being answered.

“When I say that, I mean practice especially, being out practicing, you know, throwing the ball around like he’s doing, I think is great for him," Dorsey said. "... And those reps of getting back into the flow against, we got a great defense, you know? So seeing those, seeing those reps, seeing those different looks that our defense gives them and being able to stack those reps on top of each other are huge, huge for him.

"And then anything in the preseason that if we decide to go that direction in the preseason, those will be bonus reps for him on top of that.”

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: 'I want to win football games': Ken Dorsey not concerned about not calling Browns' plays