Browns’ mapped out timeline to decide Kevin Stefanski’s future revealed
With so many questions surrounding the Cleveland Browns after the 2025 season, there is some clarity on how the future will be planned.
The first massive question that needs to be answered is whether head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry will keep their jobs. There seems to be a belief that Berry is working as if he is sticking around in 2026, but Stefanski’s situation is different.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport detailed that the Browns don’t want to make any decisions until they watch them play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18. After that, the plan is for the Browns brass to meet Monday morning to decide on the best course of action for the team.
Stefanski got off to a fast start with two winning seasons and playoff appearances in his first four years with Cleveland. The Browns won a playoff game, and Stefanski was named NFL Head Coach of the Year twice.
Where things got ugly was the last two years, as the Browns have gone 7-26 in that span, missing the postseason twice. The 2025 season has been an improvement with a 4-12 record, but it is still nowhere near what the team was expecting going into the season.
A lot of people define the Berry and Stefanski era by their decision to go all in on quarterback Deshaun Watson and trading multiple first-round picks for him, only for him to play in 19 games over the last three years. Adding in that Watson got a fully guaranteed contract, and the Browns dealt themselves one of the worst organizational moves in NFL history.
What might save Stefanski and Berry’s jobs was the work they did in the 2025 NFL Draft, as they got at least four or five long-term starters from that class. They were able to select guys like Mason Graham, Carson Schwesinger, Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., and Shedeur Sanders.
Their development at least gives Cleveland multiple pieces to work with and two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. The future was set thanks to some great moves and work done by Berry and Stefanski.
It may all come down to what options are out there to replace Stefanski and whether those are better than him. With a coaching pool that isn’t quite as highly touted as last year, if the Browns compete well against the Bengals, Stefanski could get one more year.
