No. 11. Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey

Deshaun Watson isn’t Josh Allen or anything close, and it’s new Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey’s job to make his new quarterback look like his old one.

That makes Dorsey a natural choice for 11th on our top-40 list of influential sports figures, even if he is “only” an assistant coach. He comes to Cleveland from Buffalo, where he helped Allen develop from a wild prospect with potential into a top-three NFL quarterback. Dorsey started as Allen’s quarterbacks coach (2019), then passing game coordinator (2021), then offensive coordinator, and Allen posted three straight 4,000-yard passing seasons under Dorsey’s tutelage (technically 3.5, considering Dorsey was fired midseason in 2023).

Watson hasn’t thrown for 2,500 yards total, let alone 4,000 in one year, since arriving in Cleveland. And in trusting Dorsey to unlock the version of Watson that Cleveland traded for, coach Kevin Stefanski is entrusting Dorsey with the city’s heart.

If Dorsey helps Watson become a Pro-Bowler again, the Browns are Super Bowl contenders, and Dorsey won’t pay for a sandwich all winter. If Watson continues to struggle, the Browns are stuck in salary cap purgatory, and Dorsey will field fans’ game plan ideas in the cereal aisle.

Cleveland loves its football team like a son. It has craved a quarterback for at least two decades, if not four, if not all of them since Otto Graham. And it is calling on Dorsey to deliver the quarterback its football team needs.

No man who carries that responsibility is “only” one thing. He means everything, especially if he can help Watson resemble anything close to Allen.

The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports (so far):

• No. 40: Sherrone Moore, Michigan football coach
• No. 39: John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens coach
• No. 38: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher
• No. 37: Jameis Winston, Browns quarterback
• No. 36: Will Howard, Ohio State quarterback
• No. 35: Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback.
• No. 34: Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers coach.
• No. 33: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback.
• No. 32: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs tight end
• No. 31: Tom Hamilton, Guardians radio announcer.
• No. 30: Jim Donovan, former Browns radio voice.
• No. 29: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs quarterback.
• No. 28: Lamar Jackson, Ravens quarterback.
• No. 27: LeBron James, Lakers forward.
• No. 26: Denzel Ward, Browns cornerback
• No. 25: Josh Naylor, Guardians first baseman
• No. 24 Steven Kwan, Guardians outfielder
• No. 23: Emmanuel Clase, Guardians closer
• No. 22: Jarrett Allen, Cavs center
• No. 21: Evan Mobley, Cavs big man
• No. 20: Amari Cooper, Browns wide receiver
• No. 19: Darius Garland, Cavs guard
• No. 18: Jedrick Wills Jr., Browns tackle
• No. 17: Dan Gilbert, Cavs owner
• No. 16: Paul Dolan, Guardians owner
• No. 15: Stephen Vogt, Guardians manager
• No. 14: Kenny Atkinson, Cavs coach
• No. 13: Ryan Day, Ohio State coach