CLEVELAND — Just days after firing Mike Priefer, it appears that the Cleveland Browns have a new special teams coordinator. And it's a familiar face.
On Friday, the Browns announced that they have hired Bubba Ventrone as their new special teams coordinator and assistant head coach. Shortly after announcing Priefer wouldn't be retained, the Browns had reportedly requested an interview with Ventrone, who spent the past five seasons as the Indianapolis Colts' special teams coordinator.
"We are thrilled to add Bubba to our coaching staff," Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski said in a statement. "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 is no stranger to Cleveland, as he played for the Browns for four seasons from 2009-2012, tallying 43 tackles, one forced fumble and two quarterback hits in 56 games. The Villanova product served as Cleveland's special teams captain in 2011 and 2012 and was one of the league's special team standouts during a 10-year career that included time with the New England Patriots (2005-2008) and San Francisco 49ers (2013-2014), in addition to his four seasons with the Browns.
After retiring as a player, Ventrone rejoined the team he spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with, the Patriots, as an assistant special teams coach, before taking over as the Colts' special teams coordinator in 2018. Despite his reputation as one of the NFL's best young special teams coaches, his status in Indianapolis was in flux after the Colts' hired former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their new head coach.
In returning to Cleveland, Ventrone will look to turn around a Browns special that struggled throughout the 2022 season. A 2022 fourth-round pick, kicker Cade York made 24 of his 32 field goal attempts in his rookie season, while Cleveland's punting unit ranked 21st in the league in net average.