Why the Browns need to fire special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone

For the second time in four weeks, the Cleveland Browns special teams has been a crucial factor in losing a football game.

It’s been a recurring problem for the Browns over the past few seasons, but nothing has changed. At least one coach in Cleveland should be feeling the heat with their job on the line.

It’s time for the Browns to move off of special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, who has been with the team since 2023.

In the Browns most recent game, a 26-8 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the disaster on special teams was a changing point in the game.

The first touchdown of the game came from a botched coverage on a punt, allowing Skyy Moore to go over 60 yards, putting the 49ers in the red zone. The defense couldn’t keep them out forever, giving up a touchdown.

Later in the game, the 49ers had scored again and now the Browns offense desperately needed some life. Malachi Corley was back to return the kickoff, and decided to catch the ball right on the sideline, toe tapping his way out of bounds.

That pinned the offense on the 5-yard line. If the ball went out of bounds instead, the offense would have gone to the 40-yard line, creating a massive swing. Instead of being just 20 yards from field goal range, the offense had to fight just to avoid a safety.

The final nail in the coffin was when the Browns defense made a stop, and the offense would have one more realistic chance to start a comeback. The 49ers punted, and the ball danced in the wind as Gage Lavardain muffed it, and the 49ers recovered.

They would then punch in a touchdown, sealing the Browns fate.

This isn’t the first time special teams has blown a game for Cleveland this year. Against the New York Jets, the Browns gave up a punt return and a kick return that went for touchdowns, giving away 14 free points in a 27-20 loss.

On top of that, the actual core special teams player, kicker Andre Szmyt and punter Corey Bojorquez, have been solid this year.

Szmyt is 16/19 on field goals this year, being consistently solid outside of the first game in his career where he missed several kicks in a close loss to the Bengals.

Bojorquez leads the league in punts, and punts pinned inside the 20. However, he’s consistently out kicking his coverage, allowing for big return opportunities.

Ventrone has done a bad job this season at scheming up coverages. The Browns are consistently out of place, late in getting to their spots and undisciplined in lane integrity.

In the return game, it has been a disaster as well. The Browns have not returned a punt for a touchdown since 2022, and have not returned a kickoff since 2009.

Outside of a 40-yard return last week from Lavardain that set up a Browns touchdown in the 24-10 win over the Raiders, the return game has been silent all year long. Corley, Lavardain, Jermone Ford and Deandre Carter have all had time as the return man.

Only one other punt return has gone for over 10 yards this season, and just a few kick returns have broken over 30 yards. They are bottom 10 in the league in yards per punt return, and bottom three in yards per kick return.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski took some of the blame for this weeks blunders, but the problems have been around a lot longer than just this week.

The Browns have an entire phase of the game where they fall flat every week. Ventrone has been the guy to blame, and it’s time for the Browns to part ways.