CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns have found the man they hope will be able to turn around one of the worst special teams units in the NFL last season.
They’re also keeping one of their offensive coaches who oversaw one of their most successful groups.
Byron Storer is being hired as Todd Monken’s special teams coordinator, replacing Bubba Ventrone, who spent the last three seasons running Browns special teams.
Ventrone was hired by the Rams as their special teams coordinator.
Duce Staley will remain as running backs coach.
Staley joined the Browns in 2024 and helped them navigate a season in which Nick Chubb was returning from a knee injury.
Last season, Staley helped get rookie Quinshon Judkins up to speed after legal issues kept him unsigned until the day before the season started.
Judkins rushed for 827 yards before an ankle injury ended his season in Week 16.
Rookie running back Dylan Sampson added 446 scrimmage yards.
Duce Staley will remain as Browns running backs coach under Todd Monken.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Staley previously coached for the Eagles, Lions and Panthers.
Storer, 41, has spent the last three seasons as an assistant special teams coach in Green Bay under Rich Bisaccia. He previously held the same role under Bisaccia from 2018 through 2021 for the Raiders.
The former fullback started his coaching career after three seasons with the Buccaneers, taking the assistant special teams coordinator job in Tampa, where Bisaccia was the special teams coordinator. After two seasons in Tampa, he was a special teams assistant and then assistant linebackers coach for the Chargers in 2012 and 2013.
From 2022 through 2024, Storer helped the Packers post their best three-year mark on kickoff returns in team history with cornerback Keisean Nixon earning first-team All-Pro honors as a kick returner.
He coached punter A.J. Cole and kicker Daniel Carlson with the Raiders.
The Browns special teams units proved costly in 2025, giving up three return touchdowns, including a kickoff and punt return touchdown in the span of 36 seconds in a Week 10 loss to the Jets.
At one point this season, the Browns’ special teams were the sixth-worst all-time by DVOA.
Storer will inherit a young kicker in Andre Szmyt who, after missing a costly field goal and an extra point in Week 1 against Cincinnati, made 23-of-25 field goal attempts and all 24 PAT attempts over the final 16 games.
Browns punter Corey Bojorquez has also been solid in four seasons with the Browns, but he is a free agent.
Beefing up their coverage units and finding consistency in the return game will be priorities for Storer.
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