Newsletter: Let's Talk About Split Back Shotgun Making a Return in 2025
Inside the little details of how offenses build schemes with a look at gun split.
As you all know very well I love to study football schemes. I am always on the hunt in these OTA and minicamp settings to give you what ideas of what I think the Browns offense (or defense) will be doing in the coming year. Defense is rarely a focus of those on-site covering the team so it is often the nuggets of offense scheme development I can pass along. More of the defense comes when the actual games get here.
I spoke last week about the uptick I expect in the Browns usage of under-center dropback passing as was evident in the way the reps from the session. Today’s focus is on the two running back split-gun look that is not a common thing in the modern NFL structure. While the look can be run with three wide receivers or two receivers and one tight end, the key is the dual running back setup with the quarterback in shotgun.
Since Kevin Stefanski’s hire in 2020, the Browns have only used this two back shotgun structure for just 15 snaps. Inside the look you’ve had option schemes, RPOs, traditional dropbacks with running backs in the route concepts, and also some lead-style run game where one back blocks for the other.
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