Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has gone from being considered one of the best coaches in the NFL, to the leader of one of the worst teams in the league. While that doesn't necessarily reflect upon his ability to coach and lead, a losing season like the one the Browns just had is always going to reflect badly on the head coach.
Stefanski, for what it's worth, has been a very steady leader for the Browns since coming on for the role in 2020. No matter how bad the loss or how low the lows have been for the team, he's consistently refused to place blame on anyone but himself or his coaching staff.
That's probably why so many players with Cleveland - aside from Myles Garrett, perhaps - are fine sticking around for 2025 and beyond: they see the potential of the team with Stefanski at the helm.
So, let's take a look at three free agents that the Browns may try to poach this offseason who have had ties to Stefanski throughout their NFL careers.
3 free agents with ties to Stefanski the Browns should target
Kirk Cousins
Perhaps the most obvious target, Cousins would be the best fitting quarterback for Cleveland in 2025 if he's made available by the Atlanta Falcons. He was previously with the Minnesota Vikings before being in Atlanta, and he worked with former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Stefanski while there. He had some of his best seasons while working with Stefanski.
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Cousins would have to be cut by the Falcons to allow him to hit free agency. If not, then the Browns would need to make a trade with Atlanta to make the reunion between himself and Stefanski happen. One of Cleveland's defenders, especially in their secondary, plus a non-1st round pick could probably make it happen.
Stefon Diggs
Cleveland shouldn't be in the market for any receivers unless they're trying to abide by a request from whoever they sign in free agency as their next starting quarterback. Diggs would make the most sense as a receiver that falls under that umbrella - he played well alongside Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings, so it'd make sense to add him to a Browns offense in great need of some pop.
Diggs would be coming off a season that ended early with the Houston Texans after he suffered a torn ACL. While with the Buffalo Bills prior to the Texans, he was the centerpiece of an offense led by Josh Allen that hit its ceiling and decided to move on from Diggs via trade. If he's not signed back with Houston, he may be worth pursuing if Cousins is a sure thing.
Harrison Bryant
David Njoku feels like the only sure-thing tight end for the Browns headed into 2025. That's not a terrible thing - the team has to make cuts somewhere, and if they feel they can snag talent both through the draft and with small contracts in free agency, then it makes sense to do so. If you can rely on Njoku for a bulk of tight end duties, then the team can allocate bigger funds elsewhere.
But, one tight end the team can bring on who'd be familiar with Stefanski's system is Harrison Bryant. The former Brown was fairly solid for the team from 2021 until 2023, with a ton of targets in 2022. He had his best year with Cleveland that season, going for 239 receiving yards. While he had a fairly limited role with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024, he can still be a solid second option on offensive at TE.