How Kevin Stefanski doesn’t feel the need to address the team about his future with rumors swirling: Browns takeaways

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kevin Stefanski, pinch rumors swirling astir his future, doesn’t consciousness nan request to reside it pinch nan squad heading into Sunday’s play finale successful Cincinnati.

“No,” he said. “The astir important point is what’s successful beforehand of us, and that’s our crippled Sunday down successful Cincinnati. That’s each we attraction about.”

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported connected Wednesday that erstwhile Browns receivers coach Mike McDaniel, caput coach of nan 7-9 Dolphins, will beryllium a campaigner for nan Browns vacancy if some teams portion ways pinch their coaches. He besides reported that Stefanski would beryllium a campaigner for nan Giants vacancy if he becomes free.

NFL Network reported precocious that Browns GM Andrew Berry will beryllium progressive successful nan determination astir Stefanski’s status.

On Monday, Stefanski was asked if he wants to proceed beyond this season, his sixth pinch nan Browns. Stefanski and Berry signed multi-contracts extensions successful June of 2024.

• Shedeur Sanders connected looking up to play finale, Jerry Jeudy, and more: Transcript
• Kevin Stefanski connected preparing for nan Bengals, wounded report, and more: Transcript
• ‘I enjoyed our clip here’: Wyatt Teller faces an emotional, uncertain early pinch nan Browns

“As you tin imagine, my sole attraction is connected this crippled versus Cincinnati, but I besides would show you I’m privileged to person this job,” said Stefanski, a two-time NFL Coach of nan Year.

Have location been immoderate discussions astir really things mightiness shingle retired aft nan finale? If nan Browns win, they’ll decorativeness 5-12. If they lose, it’s 4-13 connected nan heels of past year’s massively disappointing 3-14 mark.

“I understand nan question,” Stefanski said. “I ne'er get into those type of discussions. All I attraction astir is uncovering a measurement to spell triumph this week versus nan Bengals.”

Hired arsenic a first-time caput coach successful 2020, Stefanski has gone 44-56 and 1-2 successful postseason, but is successful nan midst of back-to-back double-digit nonaccomplishment seasons acknowledgment to tremendous upheaval astatine nan all-important backmost position. 2024 starter Deshaun Watson sewage disconnected to a mediocre start, successful portion because he was coming disconnected enarthrosis room and successful portion because of galore injuries astir him and a caller strategy installed by then-coordinator Ken Dorsey. Watson (1-6) ruptured his Achilles successful October, and Jameis Winston (2-5) vanished nan season.

This season, nan Browns went 1-3 pinch Joe Flacco, 1-5 pinch Dillon Gabriel, and 2-4 pinch Shedeur Sanders.

“We’ve had an explosive discourtesy (in 2023),” defender Wyatt Teller said Wednesday. “He’s been a two-time Coach of nan Year. He deserves each of that. I deliberation that it’s difficult erstwhile there’s injuries each complete nan place. It’s difficult to person consistency and triumph a batch of games. So I deliberation that nan past mates of years it’s been difficult fixed nan difficult cards that we’ve each been handed. But whether coach is present aliases wherever, he’s going to beryllium successful. He’s a awesome father, awesome husband, and a awesome man.”

Teller, who’s a free supplier aft nan play and expects to beryllium gone, believes Stefanski did nan champion he could this season.

“I consciousness for illustration each week he gets america ready,” he said. “The past mates weeks we were tight pinch Buffalo, hit nan Steelers. There’s a batch of bully things. I cognize nan play didn’t extremity up nan measurement it was and there’s a batch of games we dropped early connected that benignant of demoralizes nan team, but I consciousness for illustration there’s a batch of good. And I cognize Kevin did a bully occupation getting those guys present and I cognize he wants to coach them to success.”

Denzel Ward, conscionable voted to his 5th Pro Bowl, said Stefanski is simply a awesome coach.

“We’re each successful this together,” he said. “I cognize our grounds isn’t nan champion record, but it’s not conscionable 1 personification aliases 1 coach. It falls each connected his hands successful a sense. That’s what nan extracurricular world sees it arsenic like, ‘oh, it’s conscionable his fault.’ But it’s not conscionable his fault. It falls connected each of us, falls connected myself.

“Every azygous subordinate that’s going retired location and playing and each azygous coach, we return this grounds upon each of us. We’ve sewage to each ain it. And for illustration I said, this is not nan play that we needfully wanted, but yeah, I mean, we are successful it fighting pinch each other, and we’ve sewage each other’s back.”

He said nan players can’t salary attraction to nan rumors.

“Whatever happens, happens,” he said. “That’s conscionable life. Whatever happens, spell from location and woody pinch it arsenic it comes. But if you conscionable effort to estimate and guess, ‘oh, this could happen, this could happen,’ you’d spell crazy.”

Stefanski could cognize his destiny by Monday, different known arsenic Black Monday successful nan NFL coaching business.

Harold Fannin Jr. among 5 Browns who didn’t believe Wednesday

Fannin, who suffered a groin wounded during nan triumph complete nan Steelers, was among 5 Browns who didn’t believe connected Wednesday.

The others were defender Teven Jenkins (concussion), caller halfway Kingsley Eguakun (knee, shoulder), David Njoku (personal), Carson Schwesinger (quad, ankle).

Stefanski said Fannin is rehabbing very difficult and he’s “definitely not ruling him out.”

He added that Njoku, who’s missed nan past 3 games pinch a knee injury, should beryllium backmost pinch nan squad tomorrow. Stefanski said he’s still rehabbing his knee wounded “but he tin update you guys erstwhile appropriate.”

On Wyatt Teller finishing nan play connected IR pinch his calf injury

Stefanski said he was disappointed Teller’s play ended pinch a travel to IR pinch his calf injury.

“He fought, rehabbed very difficult to get backmost to playing successful that one, past reaggravated that wounded early successful that (Steelers game),” Stefanski said. “So that was disappointing for him and for us. Obviously, he’s played done a batch of injuries earlier successful nan past arsenic well. He’s played really bully shot for us, truthful disappointed that it ended a week early.”

Zak Zinter could get nan motion

Stefanski acknowledged that 2024 3rd information prime Zak Zinter could get nan commencement astatine correct defender pinch Jenkins successful nan concussion protocol and Teller connected IR.

“Certainly, could beryllium Zak,: he said We person options there. We’re moving done each of that.”

He said Zinter, really played 16 snaps vs. nan Steelers, has been moving highly difficult down nan scenes.

“I’m seeing a batch of that difficult activity show up successful these games,” Stefanski said. “So, I’m bullish connected Zak.”

He explained that Zinter hasn’t gotten a chance because he’s had players successful beforehand of him.

“(He’s) a young subordinate that has worked very hard, is fresh to spell astatine a moment’s notice,” Stefanski said. “Sometimes nan opportunity comes for a assortment of reasons, and evidently there’s opportunities coming present now perchance astatine nan extremity of nan season, but doesn’t mean that we’re not moving very difficult passim nan week pinch him.

“And each nan activity that he’s put successful pinch Coach (Mike) Bloom(gren), pinch Coach (Ben) Wilkerson connected nan field, I deliberation it’s been a really affirmative season. While it hasn’t needfully been represented successful a batch of reps successful nan games, I do deliberation it’s been a affirmative season.”