Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns lost 14 games in 2024 and then followed that by losing 12. The NFL is a results-driven league, and 26 notches in the loss column will get anyone unemployed. Like Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
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Stefanski remained in Cleveland six years, won two NFL Coach of the Year awards, finished with a regular-season win-loss record of 45-56, and never sniffed a Super Bowl appearance.
He was said to be a player’s coach and had the locker room. Stefanski is well-respected around the league and will get another job without an issue, whether it is a coordinator gig or as the head coach of another franchise.
Before his ousting, numerous players went public with their satisfaction with their head coach.
Pro Bowl CB Denzel Ward defended Stefanski and emphasized shared accountability for the team’s performance. QB Shedeur Sanders came out and said the team had the utmost respect for their coach. The longest tenured player on the team, seven-time Pro Bowler LG Joel Bitonio, stated he believed Stefanski was the right person for the head coaching job.
But not everyone who follows the Browns was upset with the firing.
Ask Carly Teller, right guard Wyatt Teller’s wife.
The post was likely in reference to Teller being benched and subbed out regularly with his backup, Teven Jenkins. For the year, Teller played on 70.54% of offensive snaps (764) while Jenkins got in on 29.82% of offensive snaps (323).
Teller has three Pro Bowls and has been voted Second Team All-Pro twice. He has played in 109 NFL games with 101 starts and was part of an offensive line that was ranked #3 in the league just a few short years ago. Jenkins is a former second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears back in 2021 signed with the Browns this past off-season during free agency on a one-year, $3.1 million contract.
Teller is in his final year of a four-year, $56.8 million extension he signed in 2021. He has stated publicly that he would like to remain in Cleveland, but so far, no extension talks have been reported. His cap hit this year is $12.4 million.
Needless to say, Teller’s wife is venting her frustrations because of how her husband has been relegated to a non-starter. Or, it could be the coaching staff wanted to evaluate Jenkins since he was on a one-year contract to see if they needed to retain his services or let him sign elsewhere.
For the year, Jenkins had a Pro Football Focus grade of 76.3 with zero sacks allowed, 13 pressures, and zero penalties. Teller’s rating was 62.2 with three sacks allowed, four penalties, and 24 pressures.
