Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is entering his fourth season at the helm for the Browns.
The first season (2020) was his best: he and the Browns had the mojo.
Stefanski led the Browns to the playoffs in the midst of a COVID-19-disrupted season and earned NFL Coach of the Year honors as a result.
Congrats to the @NFL Coach of the Year
The @Browns Kevin Stefanski#NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/DWYCvXEJyq
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 7, 2021
But 2021 and 2022 were disappointments.
There were a host of reasons for the downfall of the Browns, and owner Jimmy Haslam has worked hard to get the right players in Cleveland.
One of those players is Deshaun Watson who the Browns traded for in March 2022, but he played only six games after serving the 11-game suspension.
The slate is clean in 2023, and many wonder if Stefanski is on the hot seat if he cannot get his team into playoff contention this season.
When asked at the NFL owners’ meetings, Haslam did not come out and say anything specific about Stefanski’s job security.
But if you read between the lines, you could argue that he made inferences.
What Haslam Said
Here is what Haslam told Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot.
“There’s no ultimatum for Kevin Stefanski in his first full season with QB Deshaun Watson but we have expectations to make the playoffs and everybody understands how important that is.”
It could be interpreted that the Browns’ coaching staff needs to make the playoffs or else.
That is pretty much an NFL norm, but especially with Haslam spending the money to get Watson.
In Other Browns News: An OBJ-Kevin Stefanski Sighting
Former Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was in the Arizona area and stopped by the NFL meetings.
Though the Browns are not officially meeting with him, he did share a moment exchanging pleasantries with Coach Stefanski.
Again, this is just a friendly hello. #Browns happy with Elijah Moore and Marquise Goodwin and not pursuing Odell Beckham Jr. https://t.co/8KQ7KS8rJ0
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) March 28, 2023
It is ironic to see this given the disruptive behavior he exhibited with the Browns in 2021 which led to his release.
Because a lot of Beckham’s issues centered around then-quarterback Baker Mayfield, it looks like all of that is water under the bridge as Mayfield is gone as well as many of the wide receivers that were with the Browns at that time including Jarvis Landry and Rashard Higgins.
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