Cleveland Browns hire Kevin Stefanski, need to be right this time

The Cleveland Browns 15-day head coaching search ends with Kevin Stefanski, the offensive coordinator for one and a half seasons with the Vikings, being named the head coach.

The favorite in the latest coaching search in Berea seemed to be New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels but in the end, the Cleveland Browns ended up making Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski their new head coach.

There were multiple reports that McDaniels was the leader in the clubhouse leading up to his interview and many fans were clamoring for him to be the next hire. However, the Browns ultimately went in a different direction and Ian Rapoport broke the news around brunch time on Sunday.

The Browns must be right this time. They absolutely have to be.

Their constant turnover has plagued the development and success of the organization since they came back to the league in 1999. The Haslams need this hire to work out long-term. Not only for their reputation, but also to give the organization a chance to build a lasting culture and expectation to win.

The hiring of Kevin Stefanski will provide a structure the organization has not seen yet, per Daryl Ruiter, there will be an alignment from top-down — rather than everyone answering to Jimmy Haslam separately.

This is Cleveland’s chance to finally get it right. The restructuring of the organization and the new analytics mindset is the right start towards a new identity and culture.

The next step is hiring the right staff to give Stefanski and everyone the best chance to succeed and to work towards a goal together. No more dysfunction. No more in-fighting. More analytics.