BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns are making more changes with their coaching staff as 3News confirmed Tuesday that special teams coordinator Mike Priefer has been fired.
3News received the following statement from Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski:
“I appreciate everything Prief has done for this team in his three seasons as my special teams coordinator, but I have decided to move in another direction in the best interest of our organization. I know this city will forever be grateful for the job he did as acting head coach in our AFC Wildcard win and for all his contributions while leading the Browns special team's units for the last four seasons. We wish Prief the best with his next opportunity.”
A native of Cleveland, Priefer first returned to Northeast Ohio in 2019 as the special teams coordinator on Freddie Kitchens' Browns staff. After Kitchens was fired following just one season, Priefer was retained by Stefanski, who he coached alongside as an assistant with the Minnesota Vikings from 2011-2018.
While he remained Cleveland's special teams coordinator, Priefer was thrust into the spotlight as he served as the Browns' acting head coach for its Wild Card round matchup vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers following the 2020 season, which Stefanski missed due to COVID-19. Cleveland's 48-37 victory marked the Browns' first postseason win since the 1994 campaign.
Priefer's job status, however, had become the subject of speculation throughout a 2022 season in which rookie kicker Cade York struggled to maintain consistency, making 24 of his 32 field goal attempts, with multiple untimely blocks. Additionally, the Browns' punt unit ranked 21st in the league in net average.
The firing of Priefer marks just the latest shakeup on Stefanski's staff this offseason, which began when the team fired defensive coordinator Joe Woods shortly after finishing the 2022 season with a 7-10 record. Additionally, defensive assistants Chris Kiffin (Houston Texans) and Jeff Howard (Los Angeles Chargers) have landed jobs elsewhere following the hiring of new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, with quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing joining the Arizona Cardinals as the team's new offensive coordinator.
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