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The Browns are coming off two terrible seasons, and there were consequences. The first was the firing of Kevin Stefanski from his position as head coach, a role he had held since 2020. There is no doubt he had more positives than negatives, as he put the team back on the competitive map and led them to the playoffs a couple of times.
Before Stefanski, since the team returned to Cleveland, the Browns had only made the postseason a couple of times. Additionally, he gave the franchise its first playoff victory since the 1994 season, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 Wild Card round behind three touchdown passes from Baker Mayfield.
Stefanski's biggest mistake was moving on from Mayfield to sign Deshaun Watson in 2022 to a five-year, $230 million contract - a move that ultimately became a failure. Stefanski paid the price by losing his job. Since signing that deal, Watson has played in only 19 games.
The Browns' coaching staff is now completely different
Stefanski's quality is evident, and shortly after being fired he landed a job as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He wasn't the only one to leave. Jim Schwartz also departed, resigning after the hiring of new head coach Todd Monken. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and special teams coach Bubba Ventrone also left the organization.
This marks the beginning of a new era, although general manager Andrew Berry remains in place. He is undoubtedly fighting to keep his job. The responsibility for signing Watson was not Stefanski's alone - Berry also approved the decision. If he does not change the franchise's direction, it will be difficult to see him remaining in his position by 2027.
The new Browns staff is led by Todd Monken, who earned his first NFL head coaching opportunity after doing an outstanding job as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Travis Switzer will serve as offensive coordinator, Mike Rutenberg as defensive coordinator, and Byron Storer as special teams coach.
Monken's main objective will be to fix an offense that has been a disaster due to instability at the quarterback position. Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot mentioned that the starting job is currently between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders; however, she did not rule out the possibility of someone else coming in from outside to take control of the offense.