Cleveland Browns talks to three for vacant special teams coordinator.

On Feb 23, 2023

Indianapolis Colts special teams coach Bubba Ventrone in the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) ORG XMIT: OTKDZ292

The Browns have wasted no time getting started trying to fill their vacant special teams coordinator position.

On Wednesday, the Browns conducted interviews with Indianapolis Colts special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone, New York Giants assistant coach Anthony Blevins and New York Jets assistant special teams coach Leon Washington. Those interviews come a day after they fired Mike Priefer, who had been the special teams coordinator since 2019.

Ventrone and Blevins were names which emerged on Tuesday. A league source confirmed to the Beacon Journal on Wednesday that Washington’s interview, which was first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Ventrone has been seen as the favorite for the job since his name emerged. He was a special-teams ace during his NFL playing career with the New England Patriots, Browns and San Francisco 49ers.

There were questions of whether or not the Colts would grant the Browns permission to speak with Ventrone. Indianapolis’ coaching staff has been undergoing a makeover for the last week since Shane Steichen was hired to be the new head coach.

Ventrone has been the Colts’ special team coordinator since 2018. Prior to that, he spent three season from 2015-17 as the assistant special teams coach for the Patriots, the team with whom he broke into the league as a player in 2007.

Indianapolis averaged a league-best 27.8 yards per return on kickoffs and 8.5 yards per return on punts this past season. The Colts’ opponents averaged just 23 yards on kickoff returns last season and 7.4 yards on punt returns.

Blevins, 46, has been working his way through the NFL coaching ranks since 2013. He started with the Arizona Cardinals as their assistant special teams coach, a role he held from 2013-17.

Since 2018, Blevins has been with the Giants. He was an assistant special teams coach from 2018-19 before working as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2020 and as an assistant linebackers coach in 2021.

Blevins also has coached collegiately at Mississippi State, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee State and UAB from 2005-12. He’s also interviewed for the special teams coordinator job with the Denver Broncos recently after Sean Payton was hired as the head coach.

Washington was a record-setting return man during his playing days from 2006-14, especially during his time with the Jets (2006-09) and Seattle Seahawks (2010-12). He was a 2008 first-team All-Pro selection with New York and a second-team choice with the Seahawks in 2010.