Kevin Stefanski boasts a 26-24 record over 3 seasons as the Cleveland Browns‘ head coach. That actually compares favorably to how a lot of Hall of Fame-caliber coaches started their NFL careers. But Stefanski is trending in reverse, starting out with an 11-5 campaign and coming off a 7-10 effort in 2022. And that has more than a few folks wondering if Stefanski should be on the hot seat in 2023. This is despite some solid offensive rankings that don’t placate fans who question his play-calling and player usage. And hiring a defensive coordinator with head coaching experience isn’t going to lessen any pressure Stefanski feels. It’s All About The Quarterback During the Christmas weekend broadcasts, NBC ran a graphic of great coaches’ records without their most famous quarterback. Bill Belichick, for example, has a losing record without Tom Brady. And that trend was followed by more Hall of Fame coaches than not across recent history.

As underwhelming as Watson was in December, Stefanski deserves a normal season with Cleveland’s franchise quarterback. Anyone who can win playoff games with an inconsistent Mayfield and turn Brissett into a top-10-rated passer does.Of course, failing with Watson at the helm will only accelerate Stefanski’s departure from the Browns. It might even spell the end of the untouchable Paul DePodesta and his stability-wins-championships mantra. Fans’ Angst Proves Things Are Better With Stefanski Brissett’s statistically-impressive performance in 2022 might earn him a starting job somewhere else next season.

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