Mailbag: Can Ken Dorsey transform offense if he doesn't have complete control?

Q: How can Ken Dorsey be expected to transform a Browns offense that he does not have full control over?— John PalazzoA: That's a really good question to start off Week 2.The short answer is, I'm not sure he should be expected to do that. Or that he can without being the play caller.I completely agreed with, and still do, coach Kevin Stefanski's decision to keep play-calling duties. I think he's really good at it and plenty smart enough to find the right blend of his old offense and the changes brought by Dorsey. Obviously that wasn't there in the opener, when there was no attempt to establish the run and everything about the offense was sabotaged by penalties that left it in first-and-15 and second-and-long all day.Jack Conklin inactive again; James Hudson III to start at left tackleThere's certainly an adjustment period for Stefanski to call the plays when the offense isn't totally his. Yes, he's instrumental in building the game plan, but so much shotgun and three-receiver sets must feel at least somewhat foreign. Perhaps his trust level isn't what it was in the previous four seasons when there was a commitment to the run and a passing game heavy in play-action.Back to your question, it's probably unrealistic to expect a complete metamorphosis of the offense, especially right off the bat. And I think Dorsey's hands are tied to a degree because Stefanski wants to keep key elements of his system.Chasing bounce-back performance after Week 1 disaster, amid Deshaun Watson distractionQ: Maybe my perspective is off, but it seemed like Jaelon Darden was a bright spot in Week 1 on special teams. Why waive him before Week 2?— @ideashiftA: I wondered the same thing. Darden averaged 14.4 yards on five punt returns and 24.3 on four kickoff returns in the loss to the Cowboys. And the Browns have liked his potential since claiming him off waivers in December 2022.I believe the decision to make a straight-up switch to James Proche III was about Proche's experience as a returner combined with Darden botching at least one kickoff return against the Cowboys. He couldn't catch a line drive in front of the goal line, then allowed it to go into the end zone for a touchback to the 20-yard line, costing the offense valuable field position.Browns-Jaguars Preview: 3 things to watch, 3 key numbers, the predictionQ: Are all five players who were placed on injured reserve last week done for the rest of the season? Or can they return at some point?— Ron D.A: I tweaked your question a bit and thought it was important enough to include here.The NFL continues to make changes to the IR rule. Rather than teams having to designate a player to return when he goes on IR, the decision doesn't have to be made until he's eligible to come off IR, which requires a minimum four-game stay.Teams are allowed to bring back eight players within a season (10 if they make the postseason), and a player could return from IR twice.The five Browns who went on IR this week were: safety Juan Thornhill (calf), linebackers Tony Fields II (ankle) and Mohamoud Diabate (hip), defensive tackle Maurice Hurst II (ankle) and rookie cornerback Myles Harden (shin).I'd expect the Browns to be conservative with whom they bring back, given key players could be hurt later in the year and need one of the return spots. Thornhill seems automatic to return, and his injury doesn't appear to be too serious. Hurst and Fields started the opener and Diabate played in the linebacker rotation, so I could see them coming back as soon as they're ready. But that would use half the IR returns early in the season, so the Browns could wait with one or two. Given Harden was a seventh-round pick in April and the Browns have cornerback depth, I think he'll stay on IR.Q: Was Dalvin Tomlinson even flagged on the play for which he was fined $22,511 by the NFL?— @TheRealChovan23A: He wasn't penalized, but the league reviews every play in search of ones that should've been penalized and deserve to be fined.Tomlinson fell into this category.I just rewatched the play and believe the fine was justified. The rule may be flawed, but Tomlinson drove Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott into the ground and landed on him with his body weight.The post Mailbag: Can Ken Dorsey transform offense if he doesn't have complete control? first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.