With just one head coaching position remaining in the league, it seems certain that the Minnesota Vikings will retain the majority of their coaching staff for another year. Minnesota may still lose quarterback coach Grant Udinski as teams fill out their staff under new head coaches, but he may be the only loss.
But another former Vikings assistant coach is in the news getting a new position with his current team. According to Cleveland Browns beat writer Tony Grossi, the Browns have named former senior assistant Bill Musgrave to the quarterbacks coach under new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
The quarterbacks coach will likely be a big job in Cleveland, as they have a lot of controversy at the position. Currently, it’s all but assumed that starting quarterback Deshaun Watson is not going to retain his starting position next season. Between his poor performance the last three seasons, his Achilles’ tendon injury, and past sexual assault situation, the team seems all but certain to replace Watson.
Musgrave has plenty of experience across the league, including a three-year stint he spent as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator from 2011-2013. Serving under head coach Leslie Frazier, Musgrave improved the Vikings offense each season as the coordinator, from 21.3 points per game in his first season to 24.4 in his final season before Frazier and Musgrave were replaced by Mike Zimmer and Norv Turner, respectively, in 2014.
Those three seasons saw Musgrave work with the likes of Christian Ponder, Donovan McNabb, Joe Webb, Matt Cassel, and Josh Freeman. Now, Musgrave will likely get to work with a fresh, young quarterback as the Browns look to hit the reset button and move on to their next era.
