Cleveland Browns hire Bubba Ventrone as special teams coordinator, assistant head coach

The Browns announced the hiring of Bubba Ventrone as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator on Friday.

Ventrone's hiring was known by Thursday morning, when a source confirmed to the Beacon Journal it was completed. However, it wasn't official until Friday morning.

"We are thrilled to add Bubba to our coaching staff," coach Kevin Stefanski said in a statement from the team. "He brings a proven track record as both a player and coach in this league. As a player, he built a reputation as a top special teamer during his 10-year career. He used that experience to make a successful transition to the sidelines, where his units have routinely performed at a high level. He has an infectious passion for the game and we are excited to have him leading our special teams unit."

The 40-year-old Ventrone, who played safety for the Browns from 2009-12, had been the special teams coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts since 2018. He was interviewed by the Colts last month for their vacant head-coaching job, a job that recently went to former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.

The hire of Ventrone completes a whirlwind two-plus-day span that started with the Browns firing former special teams coordinator Mike Priefer on Tuesday, interviewing three candidates during the day Wednesday and word coming out late Wednesday of an expected hire. Priefer was originally hired by then-coach Freddie Kitchens in 2019, but was retained when Kevin Stefanski — with whom he had coached in Minnesota — was named head coach in 2020.

Ventrone was one of three individuals the Browns interviewed for the position. They also talked to New York Giants assistant special teams coach Anthony Blevins and New York Jets assistant special team coach Leon Washington.

Steichen reportedly had an interest in retaining Ventrone, which is why there was some question initially whether or not the Colts would grant the Browns permission to speak with him. However, they ultimately granted him permission to speak to the organization for whom he spent half of his eight-year playing career.

The Browns have replaced five coaches since the season ended, including two coordinators in defensive coordinator Joe Woods and Priefer. Quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing left to be the Arizona Cardinals' offensive coordinator, while defensive line coach Chris Kiffin departed to coach the Houston Texans' linebackers and defensive backs coach Jeff Howard left to coach the Los Angeles Chargers' inside linebackers.

Ventrone's hiring means the Browns have filled three-and-a-half of those openings, leaving just the quarterback and cornerback positions open. Jim Schwartz was hired in January to replace Woods, former Utah State defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda is coming on to coach the safeties and, per a report Thursday evening by MMQB's Albert Breer, Ben Bloom is moving from being the defensive run game coordinator to coaching defensive line.

The Colts had the eighth-best special teams in the league last season according to Rick Gosselin, who's ranked the NFL special-teams units for 42 years. The Browns were 18th in the rankings, including a league-worst 12.3 average yards allowed on punt returns.

That was the third consecutive year and fourth time in five seasons the Colts were a top-10 special-teams unit under Ventrone. They were 10th in his first season in 2018, then ranked fourth in 2020 and second in 2021.

Indianapolis averaged a league-best 27.8 yards on kickoff returns last season, aided by Dallas Flowers (31.1) and Isaiah Rodgers (25.1). It averaged 8.5 yards on punt returns, with Nyheim Hines averaging 10.1 yards before being dealt to the Buffalo Bills and Keke Coutee averaging 8.9 yards.

Meanwhile, former Browns kicker Chase McLaughlin finished 30 of 36 on field goals — 7 of 9 on kicks outdoors — while making all 21 point-after kicks. Punter Matt Haack, who was in his first year with the Colts, averaged a career-best 44.8 yards on 70 punts.

Colts' opponents averaged just 23 yards on kickoff returns last season and 7.4 yards on punt returns.

Ventrone was originally hired in Indianapolis by Josh McDaniels when he briefly took the Colts' head-coaching job. McDaniels had worked with Ventrone with the New England Patriots, with whom the latter got his coaching start in 2015 as assistant special teams coordinator.

When McDaniels made his abrupt return to the Patriots, Frank Reich kept Ventrone on as his special teams coordinator. Reich was fired by the Colts during this past season and replaced on an interim basis by Jeff Saturday.

Ventrone, a Villanova University graduate, played 97 games over eight NFL seasons from 2007-14 with the Patriots, Browns and San Francisco 49ers. He played in the Super Bowl as a rookie with the Patriots.

During Ventrone's time with the Browns, he developed into a special-teams ace, including being a Pro Bowl alternate in 2010. He was the Browns' special-teams captain in 2011 and 2012, a title he also held with the 49ers in 2013-14.

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Bubba Ventrone hired as Browns special teams coordinator