The Cleveland Browns confirmed many fans’ suspicions on Monday and officially parted ways with head coach Kevin Stefanski, who leaves the Browns as a two-time Coach of the Year and as the man who proudly ended this franchise’s agonizing playoff win drought. He’ll immediately become one of the most sought-after names on the open market, but it was simply time for the Browns to get a different voice in the locker room to help spearhead a turnaround.
There is no word yet on who the Browns are zeroing in on as a potential replacement, and it’s wise for the Browns to cast a wide net and allow the best candidate to reveal themselves naturally. For now, the team and the fans are still just coming to terms with the fact that the Browns are looking for a new coach for the first time in six years. Stefanski goes down as one of the most successful coaches in Browns history despite the disastrous last two years, and team legend Josh Cribbs seems to agree.
During a recent episode of The Top Dawgs Show, Cribbs spoke highly of the former Browns coach and believes he could have stuck around if this season had gone just slightly better than 5-12.
“It’s recency bias in the NFL. We know he was Coach of the Year twice. First playoff win in years for the Browns. If he had just broke .500, he could’ve stayed. It’s about taking the collection of guys and creating something with them—that’s coaching,” Cribbs said.
"It's about taking the collection of guys and creating something with them- that's coaching." #DawgPound@JoshCribbs16 gives his thoughts following Kevin Stefanski's firing.
presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/bygEoJ2Swg pic.twitter.com/tuz1hvWewr
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) January 7, 2026
The adage that NFL stands for “not for long” is never more evident than on Black Monday. You can count on one hand how many coaches league-wide wouldn’t be on the hot seat after going 3-14 and 5-12 in consecutive years, and unfortunately, Stefanski wasn’t one of them.
Regardless of who is this team’s next coach, the Browns aren’t going anywhere if they don’t figure out the quarterback position. The uncertainty at QB over the past four or five years is a main reason why Stefanski is no longer the coach, as it’s nearly impossible to generate any sort of stability or consistency when you’re starting three to five different quarterbacks every year.
Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel all look like they’ll be on the roster in 2026, and someone needs to emerge as the guy, or else the next coach will begin his tenure behind the 8-ball.
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