The Cleveland Brows finished their season going 5-12 and winning their final two games of the season. A season that many had hoped would go far differently than it actually did. The expectations for the Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski were unreasonably high, especially since the team hasn't had a starting-caliber quarterback since they traded Baker Mayfield to the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
Yes, they did acquire Deshaun Watson, but he never looked good for the Browns. The year off in 2021, where he sat out for the season, started things off badly for the Browns. The sexual assault and harassment allegations started things off badly for him, and then when he was traded to the Browns, the injuries mounted. The scandal ruined his reputation and the injuries his abilities. He's now a shell of himself, and an expensive shell at that.
Watson was supposed to be the savior; instead, he was a lemon, and the Browns paid a lot for him. Too much. So much it ruined the next three seasons of football for the club. With the albatross contract given to Watson and the draft haul needed to acquire him in the first place, the Browns and Stefanski got nothing that could actually help them. From 2022 to 2024, the Browns relied on spare parts and late-round draft picks to fill out a roster desperate for a few big-name free agents and some strong drafts.
It tied Stefanski's hands for several seasons, and now that the cuffs are off, there's scuttlebutt that Stefanski may get the boot. Some fans seem to be on board with this, as they believe Stefanski can't "develop" a quarterback, yet seem to forget that Mayfield, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Flacco, and Jameis Winston all had their best, or one of the best seasons of their respective careers with Stefanski.
The problem isn't that Stefanski isn't a good coach; look at the rookies in 2025 as proof he is. The problem is that for three straight seasons, he didn't have the necessary talent to build with. That seems to be lost in the conversation, that somehow he was supposed to win a Super Bowl with a fifth-rounder playing like a fifth-rounder is expected to.
The talent hasn't been there for years because of the trade for Watson. A trade whose impact is being forgotten about beyond Watson's poor play. The amount of assets given up for him hindered the Browns not only in 2022 but beyond. They are only now starting to put everything back together after that disastrous trade.
Rookies like Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., and Dylan Sampson all looked impressive this year for a reason. Why would you want to move on from a coach who got the most out of them? Especially when you have a haul of draft picks to develop and cultivate in 2026.
If the Browns do end up firing Stefanski, the only Browns coach who has two playoff appearances under his belt since 1999, there's no guarantee things will get better. Likely, they'll just get worse. After all, who could find this much success with such a limited roster? It seems like a backward thing to do when the number one issue that the Browns have had over the last four seasons is a lack of ability to acquire quality talent to fill out the roster.
Not coaching.
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