Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has been criticized this season but here are three reasons he’s not on the hot seat
Kevin Stefanski began his NFL coaching career primarily as an offensive-minded assistant coach. He was in the Minnesota Viking organization for 14 years and in 2020 got his opportunity to become a head coach with the Cleveland Browns. There were a lot of questions about Stefanski at the time and if he could step in and do well as a head coach despite not having any previous experience in this role.
The 2020 season ended up being one to remember for Browns fans as they ended up with an 11-5 record and got into the playoffs. In order to get to those playoffs, they had to beat their divisional foe Pittsburgh Steelers. They did that and then beat them again the following week in a playoff game.
That put Stefanski’s Browns into the AFC Divisional Playoff Game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Browns hung with the Chiefs but ultimately lost that game. However, there was a lot of anticipation for what the coming years would look like under Stefanski’s guidance.
Since that moment though, the Browns and their head coach have struggled. They finished with an 8-9 record a season ago and missed the playoffs and then this year, they’ve gotten off to a rocky start and are sitting at 3-5 as they rest on their bye week.
Is Stefanski’s job safe? In all likelihood it is and there are three primary reasons why that’s the case right now. Let’s look a little deeper at these and why if any of these reasons change then the coach’s job might not be so secure.
3 reasons Kevin Stefanski isn’t on the hot seat
No. 3: Deshaun Watson
The future franchise quarterback of the Cleveland Browns, Deshaun Watson is currently suspended for the first 11 games of the Cleveland season. The team is spending a boatload of money on Watson, who is considered a top-10 quarterback in the NFL, and with him sitting out most of the season, Stefanski‘s job was always likely safe no matter how this year went.
Watson is scheduled to return in Week 13 when the Browns go down to play the Houston Texans and from there, they’ll have six games under the new quarterback’s lead. This all gives Stefanski more time, even if the team struggles in the next few weeks as they wait for the return of the quarterback.
Stefanski has done a good job with his offense to this point of the season while using a backup quarterback in Jacoby Brissett. The team has moved the ball well on offense and now with the return of Watson, Stefanski hopefully will be able to take full advantage of the situation. If he can get the most out of Watson in those last six games, it will certainly build more confidence in keeping the coach around for a lot longer.
No. 2: Overall and divisional record
Kevin Stefanski started his career in Cleveland by getting his team to finish 11-5 and won the NFL Coach of the Year Award after they also won a playoff game. That entire 2020 campaign was just the polar opposite of everything Browns fans had been used to watching over the previous 20 years.
It turned Stefanski into an instant hero and everyone was looking forward to the future. But now the coach has an overall 22-19 record because of a poor 2021 season and a rough beginning to this season. However, that record compared to former Browns coaches is one of the better marks to this point in a career.
Another reason he’s probably safe this season is that the Browns have a 2-1 mark against divisional opponents. That would include a win against the Cincinnati Bengals last week as well as a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3.
Speaking of the Steelers, Stefanski has led his team to wins over Pittsburgh three times now in his tenure as coach. He’s the first coach the Browns have had since 1999 that has beaten the Steelers three times and he’s the first to do it since Bill Belichick did it back in the mid-1990s.
Beating the Steelers is always a very big deal if you want to continue to be the Cleveland head coach. Stefanski has done that and it surely hasn’t gone unnoticed by ownership.
Despite the current regular season record, the Browns are still in the hunt because of the AFC North’s struggles as a whole. If Stefanski can continue to beat those foes, then his time in Cleveland will be lengthy.
No. 1: The Browns offense is rolling this season
Kevin Stefanski has helped the Browns offense continue its steady play this season. The coach has always been considered an offensive guru and that’s still the case despite having career backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett under center.
The Browns currently are ranked seventh in scoring per game with 25. Their run game, led by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, now has 15 touchdowns, which is second in the NFL. They also have the third most rushing yards in the league with 1,317. Cleveland is averaging 386 yards overall per game which is currently sixth best.
All of this again supports Stefanski‘s ability to get his team moving in the right direction on offense. While there have been some ups and downs with the offense, the team generally has had some reliable play by notable players like Chubb and wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Knowing that Cleveland is going to be getting Deshaun Watson in the mix in the next few weeks only makes the possibilities of this potent offense even more deadly. The expectation is that this team will be even more explosive and that the Browns will win a few more games when Watson returns.
However, if that doesn’t happen over the six weeks that Watson is under center that might not be the best news for coach Stefanski moving into the next season.
More than likely regardless of the final record of the team, Stefanski will return in 2023. From that point forward, depending on the outcome of those games Stefanski could continue to be considered a hero or just another Browns coach on his way out of town.
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