Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns are currently deep into another disappointing season, one that, with one more loss, will give the franchise its 19th season with double-digit losses since 1999.
It will also be the third time in head coach Kevin Stefanski’s six seasons where the Browns hit the mark, with all three coming in the past four seasons.
The reality of the standings takes some of the shine off the two playoff seasons and the pair of NFL Coach of the Year Awards sitting in Stefanski’s office, which, in turn, has led to frustration from the fan base.
Those frustrations extend to general manager Andrew Berry, who has been hamstrung by the absence of three years’ worth of first-round draft picks thanks to the misguided trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson. Berry rebounded nicely this year with a rookie draft class that continues to receive praise, but there are still holes to fill and questions to answer about the roster.
A 6-23 record since the start of the 2024 season, along with the myth of owner Jimmy Haslam having an “itchy trigger finger,” has led to growing speculation that change is coming in the offseason.
At the very least, speculation continues to swirl in some circles that Stefanski will be fired, and Berry could follow in an attempt to clean house. Do that, and the Browns can go through the joy of starting over with a new group that will want to bring in its own players, its own philosophy, and return the Browns to the “good old days” when ownership would hit reset every few years.
The thing is, Haslam may not be in the mood for all that after spending so much time building the alignment between the front office and the head coach, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer:
To me, the reason it won’t happen is because it took nearly a decade for Jimmy Haslam and his family to find the right structure and mix of people to run their football operation. The combination of Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry delivered playoff berths in Year 1 and Year 4, and the bumps since can be connected back to the organizational decision to trade for Deshaun Watson. As such, one bad year needs to be considered with context.
The flip side is that the structure will change a bit with Paul DePodesta (seen by many as the man behind the curtain, with ownership’s ear, for the Browns) off to run the Colorado Rockies. My understanding is that the Browns won’t replace him with a new chief strategy officer, but it raises questions about whether his absence will lead to a more thorough review of how they build.
Alright, I’ll give you a verdict. Stefanski and Berry get another year and a chance to build off a really good 2025 draft class, with two first-round picks to work with in April, and a big quarterback question to answer.
Clearly, the last two seasons have not...
