Browns connections in Super Bowl 2024, and Cleveland’s roster makeup

Which players or personnel on Kansas City or San Francisco 49ers were formerly on the Browns? Also, a look at Cleveland’s roster makeup.

Every year, the Cleveland Browns typically have at least one former player represented in the Super Bowl. Outlined below are players, coaches, or front office personnel who were formerly members of the Browns on either the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers. The parenthesis represent the time span they were with Cleveland.

At the end of the post, we will post a quick year-by-year look at the Browns’ roster make up following the end of the season.

Former Browns on the Kansas City Chiefs

• Defensive Line Coach Joe Cullen (2013) – Cullen was the Browns’ defensive line coach under former head coach Rob Chudzinski and defensive coordinator Ray Horton. Cullen was known as a guy who yells a lot, but the Browns did rack up a lot of sacks during his one year with the club.
• Outside Linebackers Coach Ken Flajole (2013) – Similar to Cullen, Flajole was on the Browns’ defensive staff during the Chud/Horton days.
• Former Browns C Austin Reiter (2016-2017) is on the Chiefs’ practice squad.

Former Browns on the San Francisco 49ers

• Head Coach Kyle Shanahan (2014) – Even though he was only here for a year, fans remember Shanahan’s time as offensive coordinator with the Browns well. The offense worked well when he had Brian Hoyer, but then Shanahan had to try putting up with Johnny Manziel too. After the season, Shanahan reportedly put together a PowerPoint presentation of why he should be let out of his contract by head coach Mike Pettine.
• Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach Anthony Lynn (2007-2008) – Lynn has accumulated a lot of experience over the years, but back in his time with the Browns, he was a running backs coach under former head coach Romeo Crennel.
• Tight Ends Coach Brian Fleury (2014-2015) – Fleury has mixed things up over the years. In 2014, he was an Assistant Linebackers Coach with the Browns, and the following year, he was the team’s Outside Linebackers Coach. Now, he coaches the 49ers’ tight ends.
• Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks (2019) – It’s funny because as I’m looking at the list of coaches on these teams, I keep thinking, “Wait a minute, didn’t he have a stint with the Browns too?” With so many head coaching changes over the years, coaches have come and gone. Wilks was the Browns’ defensive coordinator for just one year, paired up with former head coach Freddie Kitchens.
• Linebackers Coach Johnny Holland (2016) – During Ray Horton’s second stint with the Browns, Holland was the Browns’ inside linebackers coach.
• Defensive Passing Game Specialist/Nickelbacks Coach Nick Sorensen (2007-2010) – Unlike all the other coaches, Sorensen’s time with the Browns was as a player, when he was a special teams ace for four years.
• S Tashaun Gipson (2012-2015) – Gipson is still known as one of the Browns’ home-grown undrafted free agents who immediately blossomed and became a starter and Pro Bowler. When he became a free agent, though, he signed with the Jaguars, and has had stints with the Texans, Bears, and now the 49ers since 2022. He remains an NFL starter.
• Former Browns DT T.Y. McGill (2017), CB Terrance Mitchell (2018-2020), and WR Willie Snead IV (2014) are on the Buccaneers’ practice squad.

Browns’ Year-by-Year Roster Breakdown

You can see the Browns’ roster composition in this PDF file. The longest tenured players on the Browns are OG Joel Bitonio and LS Charley Hughlett, both from the 2014 season.