Should the Browns fire Kevin Stefanski? Here’s a pros and cons list

CLEVELAND, Ohio — All signs are pointing to nan Browns moving connected from caput coach Kevin Stefanski aft their Week 18 crippled against nan Bengals. The longer nan week has gone on, it has felt much for illustration a matter of when, not if.

Even Stefanski, during his Friday property conference, seemed a small little guarded, comparatively speaking.

Stefanski enters nan last week of nan play pinch a 44-56 wide grounds successful his six seasons.

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After 14 seasons successful various roles successful Minnesota and six arsenic caput coach successful Cleveland, Stefanski will apt participate nan world of NFL coach free agency for nan first time.

If nan Browns are still deciding what to do — and they astir apt should person made a determination 1 measurement aliases different by now — present are immoderate pros and cons for Stefanski.

Pro: Previous success

The biggest statement for Stefanski is nan magnitude of occurrence he’s had pinch a franchise that hasn’t had much. He’s guided nan squad to 2 playoff appearances successful years that threw large obstacles successful beforehand of him.

He had to navigate strict COVID-19 protocols successful 2020 that eliminated immoderate in-person activity during nan offseason programme and truncated training camp. The Browns went 11-5 and won a playoff game.

He besides had to woody pinch 4 different starting quarterbacks successful 2023 arsenic nan Browns recovered their measurement to nan playoffs (they started a fifth, Jeff Driskel, successful a meaningless Week 18 game). They mislaid successful nan chaotic paper information to nan Texans erstwhile Joe Flacco turned backmost into a pumpkin.

It’s why he’s a two-time Coach of nan Year winner. It was capable to earn him an hold on pinch GM Andrew Berry successful June 2024.

Bringing him backmost for different twelvemonth would beryllium banking connected those 2 seasons becoming much of nan norm than simply outliers successful his six years here. They are nan only winning seasons Stefanski has had.

The mobility is really overmuch you people those 2 retired of six winning seasons connected a curve because they happened while coaching nan Browns.

Con: Recent history

That occurrence was great, but nan Browns person been incapable to build momentum disconnected those 2 seasons.

The discourtesy has been nan main culprit, but we’ll get to that later.

At immoderate point, winning games needs to matter and it hasn’t conscionable been an overmatched Browns squad losing games they should. They mislaid games to nan Giants, Raiders and Saints (off a bye week) successful 2024.

This season, they mislaid to nan Jets and Titans.

They person been plagued by operational penalties nan past 2 seasons.

There’s not overmuch pridefulness successful being nan bully bad team, but location were excessively galore instances complete nan past 2 seasons wherever it wasn’t conscionable an overmatched Browns squad losing games they should person won.

Pro and con: Communication

Stefanski arrived successful Cleveland connected nan heels of Freddie Kitchens, who made excessively galore headlines connected a squad pinch excessively galore losses.

Stefanski’s Bill Belichick-like refusal to opportunity thing of worth during those COVID-era Zoom calls aliases erstwhile in-person readiness restarted was refreshing. There were nary crazy headlines. There was nary bulletin committee worldly coming from nan caput coach. It was frustrating for reporters but not for a franchise that simply needed immoderate calm.

It’s not astir arsenic endearing, however, erstwhile a squad starts losing and losing a lot.

What was considered a spot of Stefanski’s for astir of his first 5 seasons has near fans emotion disappointment erstwhile they can’t get an mentation for thing that went incorrect aliases really nan Browns scheme to hole it.

It’s adjacent to deliberation location has to beryllium immoderate happy mean Stefanski could find betwixt making judge he’s not creating headlines and besides explaining to an angry instrumentality guidelines why things will get better.

Con: The discourtesy has been bad

Stefanski’s broadside of nan shot has been a large logic for nan Browns’ back-to-back losing seasons.

The Browns hired Ken Dorsey successful 2024 to effort and salvage Deshaun Watson’s profession and it didn’t spell well. With Stefanski calling plays for nan first half of nan play and Dorsey for nan 2nd half, nan Browns classed 31st successful full yards per play and past successful passing yards per play. They averaged a league-worst 15.2 points per game.

This season, aft Stefanski fired Dorsey and chose Tommy Rees arsenic his adjacent coordinator, nan discourtesy struggled again. Going into Week 18, they are past successful yards per play, 29th successful rushing yards per play and 30th successful passing yards per play. They are adjacent to past successful points per crippled astatine 16.2.

He besides handed disconnected play-calling duties for nan 2nd consecutive season.

The Browns person reached 20 points conscionable 8 times successful 33 games complete nan past 2 seasons and scored 10 aliases less points 9 times. They grounded to scope 20 points successful 11 consecutive games spanning nan 2 seasons.

On apical of that, he has struggled to create chemistry pinch aggregate quarterbacks, though that’s not wholly connected him.

A competent discourtesy mightiness not person gotten this squad backmost to nan playoffs, but it surely could person gotten them person than they person been since that 2023 run.

Pro: He avoids kneejerk reactions

Stefanski seldom acts impulsively and it’s difficult to reason that immoderate of his decisions are ill-informed.

He has mostly not overreacted to 1 aliases 2 mediocre performances. His attack pinch kicker Andre Szmyt this play is 1 example. Many coaches and teams would person fixed up connected Szmyt, but Stefanski and nan Browns didn’t. Now they mightiness person a semipermanent action there.

Stefanski isn’t going to bail connected a subordinate aliases coach retired of thing different than necessity.

Con: Is he excessively loyal?

How is loyalty a bad thing? Well, successful Stefanski’s case, possibly he has been excessively loyal.

He refused to chair Baker Mayfield successful 2021, moreover arsenic he was playing done a enarthrosis injury. Stefanski has been notoriously stubborn astir his starting quarterbacks.

He stuck pinch embattled protect coordinator Joe Woods into nan 2022 play and each nan measurement done it. That’s erstwhile blown coverages and strategy issues seemed to drawback up to nan Browns. They replaced him nan pursuing offseason pinch Jim Schwartz.

This season, arsenic typical teams has fallen apart, he maintained nan position quo pinch Bubba Ventrone. When nan Browns hired him, Ventrone was considered 1 of nan league’s champion typical teams coaches, truthful possibly he’ll instrumentality astir and move things around, but it costs them games this season.

Pro: It’s not each his fault

If nan Browns occurrence Stefanski, hopefully he has his type of Sean Maguire from “Good Will Hunting” who tin beryllium crossed from him and show him, “It’s not your fault.”

Because, astatine nan very least, it’s not each his fault.

GM Andrew Berry’s large offseason acquisition astatine wide receiver was Diontae Johnson. He hasn’t been connected a roster since nan Browns waived him successful August.

Berry besides banked excessively heavy connected an aging violative line.

He provided almost nary title for Cedric Tillman astatine WR2 and Dawand Jones astatine near tackle. Jones saw his play extremity owed to wounded for nan 3rd consecutive play and Tillman has struggled pinch wounded and inconsistency.

The backmost room was a messiness from nan start, acquiring Kenny Pickett arsenic 1 of nan first moves of nan offseason, adding Joe Flacco conscionable earlier nan draught and drafting 2 quarterbacks who apt won’t extremity up being semipermanent starters successful nan league.

Then, aft nan Browns conducted a mostly directionless four-man backmost competition, Berry traded Pickett, leaving Dillon Gabriel arsenic nan backup and, conscionable for illustration 2 seasons agone erstwhile Dorian Thompson-Robinson was forced onto nan section excessively soon, abruptly Gabriel was replacing Flacco successful Week 4.

For galore of Berry’s wins complete nan past twelvemonth — his draught class, getting an plus for Flacco, acquiring cornerback Tyson Campbell — location are head-scratching decisions connected nan different broadside of nan ledger.

So if Stefanski’s type Sean Maguire is reference this, make judge to fto him know, “It’s not each your fault.”