Can the Browns New Offensive Coordinator Elevate the Team to Success?
When the Cleveland Browns fired their former head coach, Kevin Stefanski, it was rumored that Cleveland’s offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees, may have been a candidate for his boss’s job. However, Stefanski flew south to take the Atlanta Falcons head coaching gig, and Rees followed suit to assume the same position he had in Cleveland. The Browns were mulling multiple different coordinators and former head coaches in search of their 13th head coach since 1999, and ultimately had to settle on Baltimore Ravens OC Todd Monken, who previously served on Cleveland’s staff in 2019. For his offensive coordinator and right-hand man, he decided on Ravens run game coordinator Travis Switzer, who has spent his entire NFL coaching career with Baltimore.
Switzer, a 33-year old native of Lancaster, PA, was a graduate of Conestoga High School. From there, Switzer found himself in Ohio for the first time in his football journey as an offensive lineman for the Akron Zips of the Mid-American Conference. From 2011-2014, Switzer was a mainstay on the O-Line, and at one point, he started 36 consecutive games at center. After his time in college came to an end, he received a tryout invitation for the Miami Dolphins' rookie minicamp in 2015, but nothing ever came of it, and Switzer never saw NFL action as a player.
From there, Switzer shifted from playing to coaching and joined Baltimore’s staff in 2017 in an administrative-performance role. This move proved to be an excellent decision for Switzer, as he parlayed it into a nearly decade-long coaching job. In the years that followed, Switzer took a tour of the offensive position groups, working as an offensive quality control coach and assisting with the wide receivers and tight ends. In 2023, Switzer was promoted to run game coordinator, where he really made a name for himself. In just his first year at the position, the Ravens set a single-season franchise record for rushing touchdowns with 26, and led the league in rushing yards with 2,661. The following year, the Ravens signed future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry, who went on to snag the league rushing title with 1,921 rushing yards and set the single-season franchise record for rushing touchdowns with 16.
If these stats and records are any indication of what is to come for Cleveland, then Browns fans should get ready to watch a clinic on how to run the football. Entering their second year in 2026, Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson performed very well as a part of Cleveland’s vaunted 2025 rookie class. But if Switzer can tap their already visible potential as rushers, then the Browns could be set to compete in an AFC North Division that's famous for its toughness and physicality when it comes to running the ball. Cleveland will have to land on offensive line prospects in the draft and free agency, but the addition of Switzer to the staff is really exciting for a team and fanbase that has been missing a strong run game since fan favorite running back Nick Chubb signed with the Houston Texans last offseason. With Judkins as the lead rusher, and Sampson as a pass-catching secondary back who can make plays as a receiver, look out for Switzer to try to recreate what he had in Baltimore with Henry and tertiary rushers like Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill. If the Browns' front office can strengthen the offensive line, and if Switzer can embolden Cleveland’s running game as he did with the Ravens, then the Browns may be a dark-horse contender in the AFC North if their defense is what it was in 2025.
