CLEVELAND, Ohio — Bengals coach Zac Taylor and Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin didn’t want to let their quarterbacks coach in Alex Van Pelt get away, especially not to the Browns and especially not with LSU quarterback Joe Burrow likely their pick at No. 1 on April 23.
But they couldn’t stand in the way of Van Pelt becoming a coordinator for the first time since 2009, when he held that distinction and called plays for the Bills.
“Great coach,’’ Taylor said at the NFL combine podium. “Hate to lose him because he was a great resource for us. It was an opportunity we had to allow him to take because he’s earned it and you don’t want to stunt someone’s growth in that way. Unfortunately, he’s in our division. That’s the part you don’t love, but he’s a great man. He’s earned this right to be the offensive coordinator for the Browns. Unfortunately, they’re going to be in great hands with him.’’
Tobin echoed those sentiments.
“Alex is a great friend of mine and I’ve got a lot of regard for Alex,’’ he said. “Alex had a desire to be an offensive coordinator and ultimately Zac decided that we would give him that opportunity to go interview. I’m glad he got it. Proud of him. He’ll do a great job unfortunately for us but he’s a guy that I’ve got high regard for and I wish him the best.’’
Browns will pursue Chase Daniel; Case Keenum also on the radar
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski hasn’t yet decided who will call plays, but revealed Tuesday that he’ll likely let Van Pelt handle it through the preseason before deciding between the two of them.
Joe Burrow and the AFC North QB landscape
If LSU’s Burrow, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, lands in Cincinnati, it will make for a star-studded quarterback lineup in the AFC North, assuming future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger comes back from his elbow surgery in Pittsburgh. It already features the 2019 NFL MVP in Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson.
“It’s always been in my opinion one of the most competitive divisions,’’ Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said. “To see the young influx of talent at the quarterback position, Baker Mayfield is a tremendous talent. Lamar [Jackson] we feel really good about him Joe Burrow’s one of the best quarterbacks we’ve seen in a long time. Ben (Roethlisberger) is a Hall of Famer. It just makes our division really fun. Every game is a dogfight.”
Cincy GM Tobin couldn’t agree more.
“The AFC North’s been tough since I’ve been in football,’’ he said. “It just is, year in and year out. We’ve won it some, we’ve had our share of successes, but we’ve also had our share of failures and it’s a division that just doesn’t go away on a yearly basis. The quarterbacks in there, there’s been some turnover, but there’s some rocks too, with Roethlisberger. I don’t know how he’ll come back. That’s for them to determine.’’
Berry will be flexible about trading up or down from No. 10
He also wouldn’t say what the future holds for Andy Dalton, who’s under contract next year for $17.5 million, but none guaranteed.
“We’ve had a lot of success with Andy [Dalton],’’ he said. “I’ve got great regard for Andy and he’s led us to a lot of big wins and a lot of playoff appearances, and so how we go forward is to be determined as we go through the process.’’
Joe Judge on hiring Freddie Kitchens
Giants coach Joe Judge addressed the addition of former Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens as his tight ends coach.
“I’ve known Freddie for some time,’’ Judge said Tuesday. “Freddie’s a tremendous coach. Freddie has a very good personality that touched a lot of guys in different ways. Freddie’s a very tough-minded man, and he’s a tough coach. You watch the teams he’s been part of, they play with a toughness. They run the ball, they get after you.’’
Judge was a graduate assistant at Mississippi State in 2005 when Kitchens was running backs coach there. Kitchens also coached the Cowboys’ tight ends in 2006.
Kyle Shanahan praises Browns’ Woods, Kiffin
Shanahan had high praise for former 49ers assistant and current Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods, and defensive line coach Chris Kiffin, who followed Woods to Cleveland.
“Those guys deserved it," he said. "I mean, Joe Woods has been a coordinator in this league, he deserves to be a coordinator, Chris Kiffin has been a coordinator in college. And he just has to get his name out there more because he’s going to be a coordinator in this league.’’
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