Browns insider expands on Patriots OC, Joe Flacco links

It was suggested last week that the Cleveland Browns replacing offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt with Ken Dorsey was directly related to the club's desire to get the best out of quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Van Pelt now serves as offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots, and Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot insisted during the latest edition of the "Eye on Foxborough" podcast that Van Pelt didn't necessarily make enemies in Cleveland ahead of that club's offseason decision. 

"The Browns coaches really, really seemed to like him," Cabot said about Van Pelt, per Chris Mason of MassLive. "(Quarterback) Baker Mayfield really liked him a lot. But I just have a feeling that there was some kind of a paradigm shift that they were seeking when it came to Deshaun Watson and what he can do versus what Alex Van Pelt is comfortable with." 

Mayfield played under Van Pelt during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Most recently, Van Pelt helped quarterback Joe Flacco earn Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year honors for this past campaign, and Cabot called the Van Pelt-Flacco partnership "a match made in heaven." The Patriots, meanwhile, could need a bridge starter if they wish to sit a rookie signal-caller for even a portion of the 2024 season. 

"I was thinking it would probably be smart for the Patriots to sign Joe Flacco," Cabot acknowledged, as shared by Karen Guregian of MassLive. "He’s looking for an opportunity to go somewhere where he can compete for the starting job, or to start. Alex Van Pelt knows what he’s all about and what he can do. And if you have a really good receiver that can go down field, and catch these deep passes from Joe Flacco, you can get a lot of mileage out of that." 

It's thought that the Patriots could enter training camp with a rookie, a veteran such as Flacco and 2021 first-round draft pick Mac Jones in their quarterback room. While Flacco turned 39 years old in January, he showed throughout the previous month he still had a little something left in the tank. It's also worth noting that the Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player could be an ideal mentor for a first-year pro such as Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels.