CLEVELAND, Ohio — What defines an NFL offense’s identity? Is it a philosophical approach, a statistical profile, or something more intangible?

On Wednesday, we got a rare glimpse into how a head coach and his quarterback, C.J. Stroud, see their offense’s identity – and their perspectives aren’t exactly aligned.

Head coach DeMeco Ryans, when asked directly about his offense’s identity, focused entirely on results rather than style. For him, identity isn’t about being run-first or pass-first – it’s about efficiency.

“The identity of our offense is at the end of the day to me, is move the ball. It doesn’t matter,” Ryans said. People want, oh, we’ll run first, pass for it doesn’t matter. Like if you get four yards, you get four yards is throwing the ball, passing the ball, and offense just

See Full Page