The newly hired Cleveland Browns staff is good news for Brandon Weeden

Brandon Weeden got a new coach on Thursday night. / Photo by US Presswire

By Anthony Slater – Aslater@opubco.com - @anthonyVslater

When news surfaced last week of Chip Kelly’s impending hire as the Cleveland Browns’ newest head coach, many publicly wondered what that meant for Brandon Weeden.

Weeden ran an up-tempo offense at Oklahoma State, but not quite like the one Kelly runs at Oregon (where his dual-threat quarterbacks at least possess the option of running, an option Weeden — while blessed with a rocket arm — doesn’t exactly have in his arsenal).

Some reports even suggested that Kelly had reached out to Colt McCoy, through Browns CEO Joe Banner, to let him know he was in the future quarterbacking plans.

But Kelly, as you’ve likely heard, left the Browns (and Eagles, and Bills…) at the altar, bolting back to Oregon, despite his NFL flirtations, for the second straight year.

And with that last-second decision, may have come a big break for Brandon Weeden.

The Cleveland Browns hired their new coach on Thursday night, announcing that Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski had surprisingly secured the job after wowing management during the interview process.

Unlike Kelly’s up-tempo (or the West Coast check-down style Weeden ran under Pat Shurmur his rookie season), Chudzinski prefers a more downfield approach, something that blends well with Weeden’s strengths.