The Cleveland Browns were defeated by the Houston Texans 45-14 during Wild Card weekend. It was an early exit from the NFL playoffs for Cleveland, who reportedly made a number of coaching decisions following the defeat.

“The #Browns are going through the offensive staff role evaluation process, source said. RB coach Stump Mitchell has been fired, as @JosinaAnderson reported. TE coach TC McCartney will not be retained. OC Alex Van Pelt remains under contract, with no other final decisions made,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Van Pelt confirmed his firing to reporter Jake Trotter and remains proud of his time with the Browns:

“Alex Van Pelt tells me he's out as Browns offensive coordinator. “On to the next one. Proud of my time there.” AVP had been with Cleveland since 2020.”

Browns' 2023 season

Overall, it was a successful season for the Browns. Cleveland finished with an 11-6 record despite playing in a competitive AFC North division. In fact, every team in the division ended the regular season with a winning record.

Cleveland also lost star running back Nick Chubb early in the season, and Deshaun Watson suffered an injury later in the year. The Browns continued to find success despite the injury concerns, however.

Their playoff loss to the Texans was obviously far from ideal. Losing 45-14 does not exactly suggest that Cleveland was a Super Bowl contender. With that being said, the future is bright for this team. Kevin Stefanski and the Browns are hoping that the aforementioned coaching decisions will lead to a deeper playoff run next season.

For now, Cleveland will focus on improving the roster during the offseason.