INDIANAPOLIS — Continuity has been one of the defining factors in why the Browns have had the relative success they've had during the last four seasons.

General manager Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski are going into their fifth seasons together. It's the longest the Browns have had the same GM and coach since Peter Hadhazy was the general manager and Sam Rutigliano was the coach from 1978-84.

That said, underneath that top-of-the-organization consistency, the Browns have experienced a relatively significant amount of change. But it's change that those at the top consider healthy for the organization long term.

"I think you always want some new perspective," Berry said Tuesday at the NFL combine. "I think that's healthy in any organization. We'll always pride ourselves on trying to stay ahead of the curve and not remaining stagnant. That won't mean that we won't have some foundational things that we believe in, whether it's how we build the team, how we play or how we run the operation. But, at the same time, we're also not going to be afraid of making alterations if that's what we think is necessary."

A year ago, those alterations mostly impacted the defense and the special teams, and they made a difference. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz won the Associated Press Assistant Coach of the Year after running the league's No. 1 defense, while special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone helped that unit take strides forward as well.

This offseason, it's been the offense that has undergone significant renovations. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, offensive line coach Bill Callahan, running backs coach Stump Mitchell, tight end coach T.C. McCartney and assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters either were let go or left for other opportunities.

Stefanski replaced them with Ken Dorsey, Andy Dickerson, Duce Staley, Tommy Rees and Roy Istvan. He also had to replace defensive line coach Ben Bloom, now with the Tennessee Titans, with former Houston Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire.

"Year to year, you're constantly looking at different things and what you can do better," Stefanski said Wednesday at the combine. "There were some unique instances this year that came up, so obviously there's a bunch of new people in our room, which I view as a positive. And the conversations that we've had already have been great. … These are guys that come from different perspectives, obviously different teams, different schemes. So we're still in the infancy of putting it back together."

Dorsey's been the centerpiece of that offensive makeover, which Stefanski has repeated labeled as a "collaborative" effort among the entire staff. The former quarterback spent the past season-and-a-half as offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, who were a top-five offense in the NFL over those 27 games before he was fired in Week 10 last season.

Much like Schwartz and Ventrone, Dorsey was not a coach with whom Stefanski had a prior history with in terms of having worked together along their paths up the ranks. That's part of the idea, although there is some identical schematic DNA between the two offensive coaches.

"Ken's been in a bunch of different systems," Stefanski said. "I know most recently you mentioned Dabes (former Buffalo offensive coordinator and current New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll) and what they're doing in Buffalo, but Ken has been in versions of (longtime NFL offensive mind) Norv (Turner's) system, which I was also in, when he was in Carolina. So we see the game very similarly, but all of his experiences I think are important in what he brings with us."

While Dorsey, Dickerson and Staley have spent most, if not all, of their coaching careers in the NFL, Rees is the definition of going a different route for the Browns. He spent last season as the offensive coordinator under Nick Saban at the University of Alabama after having spent the previous three in the same position at Notre Dame, his alma mater.

A former Browns ball boy while his father Bill was a scout during Phil Savage's tenure as general manager, Rees brings an almost exclusively college background to the offensive staff. Rees did spend one year with the then-San Diego Chargers, but it's his college philosophies that have Stefanski most intrigued.

"I think the game, you’re always trying to stay ahead of all the evolutions of this game that’s taking place," Stefanski said. "One thing that keeps me up at night is, where’s the game going? Where’s the offensive game going? I tell people all the time you can put on tape from 20, 15 years ago, I’m on the sideline at those games but that game doesn’t resemble our current game.

"Just think of shotgun. How simple that is, right? Shotgun has shot up a ton in the last 15 years. So where are those evolutions coming (from)? And oftentimes those plays from high school and college make their way to the NFL. So certainly we’re always looking at plays that maybe will be showing up there."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns believe new perspectives help after unique staff renovations