All signs point to the Cleveland Browns shaking up the power dynamics inside the organization, making Kevin Stefanski the scapegoat for organizational failures that run deeper than just coaching
Major changes are coming to the Cleveland Browns power structure over the course of the next 24 hours. More specifically, Kevin Stefanski's tenure as head coach appears to have reached an unceremonious end, regardless of what happens against division rival Cincinnati on Sunday.
It's probably time for a change of some sort. The Browns are finishing off a second consecutive losing season under Stefanski. Whether it's seven wins in two seasons or eight wins in two seasons, doesn't make much of a difference. When a team loses as much as Cleveland has these last two years, nobody should be safe.
That's the problem, though. This mess the Browns find themselves in goes well beyond Stefanski. He certainly has a role in it, but the biggest problems this organization faces right now can be attributed to roster construction. That falls on Andrew Berry.
Scapegoating Stefanski for the franchise's failures would be a disingenuous miscalculation by Jimmy and Dee Haslam.
The way I see it, this should be an all-or-nothing situation. The Haslams either need to go against conventional wisdom, dig in, and stand by both their head coach and general manager. For nearly a year now, that had felt like a legitimate possibility, considering the way Jimmy Haslam talked about patience at the NFL owners' meetings last March.
Or, clean house. Fire both, and start fresh with totally new leadership at the forefront of the franchise's power structure. No in between. No half measures. A clean break.
Over the last six years, Stefanski and Berry have always been presented as a unified duo. Terms like "thought partners" were thrown around very nonchalantly whenever major organizational decisions were made. When they both signed contract extensions ahead of the 2024 season, it kept them tied to each other for five more years.
Whether they like it or not, they're in this thing together. Or they should be.
Berry appears poised to survive the wreckage, though. He can thank the 2025 Draft Class for that. Or maybe more specifically, he can thank standout linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who is the piece of this rookie group that elevates it from really good to a no doubt home run.
Credit where it's due, Berry did seem to land several cornerstone players with this class, providing plenty of hope for a brighter future in Cleveland. However, one slam dunk of a class does not a good GM make.
Ignoring the previous five drafts, littered with critical misses at key positions – like Jedrick Wills at left tackle and whiffs on numerous day two receivers – is malpractice.
There's also that big "swing and a miss" on Deshaun Watson that ultimately falls at his feet, which is undoubtedly the biggest reason the Browns find themselves where they are, lacking talent down the depth chart, facing glaring roster holes, and having minimal cap flexibility.
All of those things happened on Berry's watch.
This isn't to say Stefanski is totally exonerated in this. He's had his fair share of shortcomings. This year in particular, his offense seemed to have lost its identity from what made him such an attractive hire back in 2020. Having to give up play-calling for a second consecutive year because of how much of a struggle things were on that side of the ball didn't help his cause.
There's also the mishandling of the QB situation, which Stefanski called an open competition between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders last spring. It became apparent early on that it wasn't actually anyone's job to win, with Sanders buried on the depth chart. The Colorado product's play over the last six weeks suggests there should have been more of a priority to get him on the field.
Then again, if Stefanski is the head chef expected to cook up a winning game plan on Sunday's, the ingredients he was given weren't exactly gourmet. Again, nobody is blameless in this debacle.
In today's NFL, splitting up a GM-head coach pairing rarely works out the way people hope. Look no further than the Tennessee Titans for proof of that. The remaining party is almost always forced out by the new person who comes in to fill the other void.
But the Browns would rather avoid this notion that they're a rebuilding team (they are) and keep at least something status quo going into the 2026 offseason. It's a mistake and only delays the inevitable.