Cleveland Browns Prove They’re Still Dysfunctional by Firing Kevin Stefanski

The Cleveland Browns went 8-26 over the last two seasons with two of the victories coming to conclude the 2025 season.

Anybody that thought Kevin Stefanski was coming back as head coach for the 2026 campaign was overlooking one major element -- general manager Andrew Berry needed a scapegoat.

Sure enough, Stefanski was fired Monday and owner Jimmy Haslam said Berry was being retained and would head the search for a new head coach.

Berry has the same exact record (45-56) as Cleveland general manager as Stefanski did as coach. They came in together prior to the 2020 campaign.

But apparently the 3-14 record in 2024 and 5-12 mark this season only counted against the guy who couldn’t coach a bad team to many victories.

The guy who built the bad roster – and paralyzed the franchise with the disastrous trade for Deshaun Watson in 2022 – gets to remain onboard to rebuild the team?

Wow, now we understand why the Browns have won exactly one playoff game – by Stefanski at that – since the franchise was restored in 1999.

Of course, with most bad NFL franchises, the tone is set at the top as in the owner.

At least Haslam pointed the finger at himself as part of the problem.

“First of all, ownership takes full responsibility for where we are,” Haslam told reporters. “To win eight games in two years is horrible. It’s totally unacceptable, OK, it’s not going to continue. OK?”

Haslam said the roster was good enough to win more games. An interesting comment since the 2025 season was mostly novice time at quarterback.

Veteran Joe Flacco started four games and then was demoted and rapidly traded to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel started the next six games and at least had seven touchdown passes to two interceptions. A concussion ended his reign as the starter.

Shedeur Sanders started the final seven games and displayed why he was a fifth-round pick and not an early selection. He threw 10 interceptions against seven touchdowns.

A team with this level of shaky quarterback play isn’t going to win much. Heck, that five-win season might be overachieving.

In fact, seven different people have started at quarterback for the Browns – including journeyman Jameis Winston -- over the last two seasons. Compare that to the Buffalo Bills. The last time somebody other than Josh Allen started the football game was Nov. 11, 2018.

Berry promises the Browns will do everything they can to fix the quarterback position for 2026.

"It's too important of a position, and it's something that has to be solidified,” Berry said Monday.

You can definitely believe he’ll do everything he can to identify a true signal caller because his employment will be eliminated if the Browns post another double-digit losing campaign.

Berry said the next head coach will get to provide a lot of input into the decision-making at the position.

The new coach probably doesn’t want to hear anything about Watson being the stop-gap choice.

The Watson trade with the Houston Texans and the crazy contract handed out (five years, $230 million guaranteed) has been a disaster for the Browns. He has played in a total of 19 games due to injuries and suspension.

Watson certainly had bad luck in tearing his Achilles tendon 14-plus months ago – and again 2 1/2 months later – causing him to miss the entire 2025 season.

But let’s not forget that the Browns made the trade for Watson while he was being accused of sexual misconduct by two dozen massage therapists.

If I’m running the Browns, I want Watson to get through the 2026 campaign without being hurt, hand him his last enormous paycheck and show him the directions out of town.

As for Stefanski, he’s a two-time NFL Coach of the Year. And he did that – wait for it – as coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Now that’s remarkable.