Breaking down if head coach Kevin Stefanski is on the hot seat or not in 2023

Browns Must Win the Close Games

When it came to one-score games last year, Cleveland was the second-worst team in the NFL with a record of 2-6. Only the Chicago Bears, who finished with the worst record in the league, were below the Browns at 1-7.

If the Browns want to vie for a playoff berth this season, they must reverse their fortunes in one-score affairs, especially in the daunting AFC.

Stefanski was on the losing end more times than he'd like to remember when the score was close. Oftentimes, the offense did its job and the defense collapsed down the stretch. With the defense vastly improved (on paper), that shouldn't be an issue anymore.

Kicking matters in the NFL and Cleveland recently got a new kicker as they replaced Cade York with veteran Dustin Hopkins, who was acquired in a trade with the Chargers for a seventh-round pick.

This should also change some outcomes for the Browns as they now have a guy who has converted 84.8 percent of his field goals and 94.4 percent of his extra points.

Should the Browns not turn it around in this area of the game, then that won't fall solely on Stefanski. In the NFL, it all comes down to execution. If a play looks like it works and let's say a receiver drops a wide-open pass, that doesn't fall on the head coach.

There are so many nuances to every single game played and some things just aren't due to the head coach calling plays or picking the play you thought he should've called sitting in your recliner.

Stefanski will get a full season with this roster to prove he can be the man to lead this team to the promised land. Even if the Browns start off slowly, that still won't be time to panic or even warm Stefanski's seat.

Despite all the excitement of the new players on the team, it will still take a little time for them to fully gel. The team has looked pretty good in the offseason, but that doesn't matter come September 10.

If Cleveland is able to get back to the postseason for the first time in three years, fans will have a different outlook on Stefanski. He has the talent (on paper) for this to be a truly special season.

If the Browns fail to live up to expectations, then all hell will break lose, Until that happens, Stefanski should not be on the hot seat or even the warm seat in 2023.