Kevin Stefanski’s Browns coaching legacy by the numbers: Fourth-down aggressiveness, challenged plays, points

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kevin Stefanski’s tenure arsenic nan Browns’ caput coach came to a adjacent Monday morning.

His six seasons featured highs that came pinch double-digit-win seasons, playoff berths and wto Coach of nan Year awards. They besides featured lows that resulted successful bottommost ranks successful statistics, roster turnover, and eventually, Stefanski’s firing.

What benignant of bequest does he time off behind?

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Stefanski’s hiring successful 2020 was portion of a activity of young violative minds becoming caput coaches. This included a emergence successful utilizing analytics and information for decision-making. So it’s correct to analyse Stefanski’s bequest done nan lens of analytics and data.

Here’s a look astatine his assemblage of activity done different areas of nan game, immoderate of which became Stefanski staples, from violative output, to fourth-down aggressiveness, and more.

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Here’s wherever Stefanski ranks among all-time Browns coaches:

• Third successful games coached (101).
• Fourth successful astir wins (45).
• Fourth successful playoff games coached (three).
• 1 of 2 coaches pinch aggregate 11-win seasons (two): Paul Brown racked up 5 11-win seasons.
• Tied for 2nd successful NFL Coach of nan Year awards (two): Paul Brown won 4 times (1949, 1951, 1953, 1957), Sam Rutigliano besides won doubly (1979, 1980).

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Before Stefanski came to Cleveland, nan 2007 Browns held nan highest constituent mean (25.1) since nan franchise returned successful 1999, and that squad classed eighth successful nan NFL that season.

After Stefanski’s exit, nan 2007 Browns still clasp nan apical spot. However, nan three champion Browns offenses each deduce from nan Stefanski regime. Below are nan apical 5 Browns offenses since 1999. Attached to them are their individual ranks from their respective seasons.

(Teams pinch an asterisk were Stefanski-coached)

1. 2007 Browns (8th)
2. 2023 Browns* (10th)
3. 2020 Browns* (14th)
4. 2022 Browns* (18th)
5. 2002 Browns (19th)

The 2023 Browns tied for 10th successful points (23.3) during a play of resilience done injuries and comeback wins that led to a playoff berth.

The 2020 Browns were Stefanski’s first team, played during nan COVID-19 pandemic and classed 14th rank successful points (25.5). And of course, nan Browns put up 48 points successful nan chaotic paper playoff triumph complete Pittsburgh, contempt Stefanski’s absence successful that crippled arsenic he recovered from COVID-19.

The 2022 Browns were underwhelming seven-win squad that featured an 18th rank successful points (21.2). But compared to different Browns teams of nan 21st century, that ranks beautiful well.

Fourth downs

Stefanski was among nan astir fierce coaches erstwhile it came to going for it connected 4th down.

It was thing seldom done successful nan eras earlier him, but Stefanski brought a inclination to spell for it, particularly connected 4th and short.

The floor plan beneath shows Cleveland’s year-by-year rank successful fourth-down conversions, attempts and conversion percent from Stefanski’s six-season tenure.

The totals and rankings travel from ESPNStats.

Those 2022 and 2024 seasons are astir identical crossed nan committee and disagree from nan different 4 seasons of nan Stefanski era.

Here’s why.

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In 2022, while Deshaun Watson was serving his 11-game suspension, backup Jacoby Brissett was nan starter.

In 2024, aft Watson injured his Achilles successful Week 7, backup Jameis Winston started nan pursuing 7 games.

Both backups brought wide statures that Stefanski utilized to his advantage for nan backmost sneak.

When approaching a 4th down pinch 1 to 3 yards needed for a first down, Brissett rushed 10 times and converted eight of those rushes for a first down, according to Pro Football Reference.

When approaching a 4th down pinch 1-3 yards needed for a first down, Winston rushed 8 times and converted all 8 rushes for a first down, on pinch 1 touchdown.

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When Stefanski arrived successful Cleveland, he inherited a talent successful moving backmost Nick Chubb.

Dating backmost to 1999 and earlier Stefanski sewage to Cleveland successful 2020, Chubb was nan only backmost to mean 5 aliases much yards per carry, pinch 5.2 per transportation successful 2018 and 5.0 successful 2019.

During Stefanski’s tenure, he had two backs mean 5.0 aliases much yards per carry.

Stefanski’s discourtesy helped Chubb proceed his accumulation of 5 aliases much yards per transportation earlier his MCL tear early successful 2023. Jerome Ford was up adjacent arsenic nan RB1 that season, finishing pinch 4.0 yards per carry. He upped it to a 5.4 mean successful 2024.

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There were highs for Browns walk catchers, notably successful 2023 erstwhile Amari Cooper’s 1,250 yards vanished 10th champion successful nan league.

There besides were lows, particularly erstwhile it came to dropping passes.

Below are nan Browns’ ranks by play for astir dropped passes done Stefanski’s tenure:

• 2020 - tied for 22nd rank (21)
• 2021 - tied for 19th rank (25)
• 2022 - tied for 5th rank (37)
• 2023 - 2nd rank (42)
• 2024 - first rank (49)
• 2025 - seventh rank (25)

Five times did nan Browns person a subordinate log double-digit dropped passes.

2022 - Amari Cooper classed 2nd successful dropped passes (12).

2023 - David Njoku vanished 3rd successful dropped passes (11)

2024 - Jerry Jeudy led each players successful dropped passes (13)

2024 - Cooper vanished 2nd successful dropped passes (12). He was traded to Buffalo aft Week 6, but 10 of his drops came pinch Cleveland that season. That still would’ve made him and Jeudy nan only NFL players pinch 10 aliases much drops.

2025 - Jeudy tied for first (10)

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Stefanski besides took to challenging plays.

There isn’t overmuch accusation disposable successful respect to NFL caput coaches challenging plays, but FoxSports did way nan occurrence complaint of challenges for each progressive coaches done Week 3 of nan 2025 season, and Stefanski tied for eighth successful occurrence complaint connected challenging plays (50.0%). From 2020 to Week 3 of nan 2025 season, he had won 10 of his 20 challenges.