The Cleveland Browns made the difficult decision to part ways with former head coach Kevin Stefanski this offseason after another regular season where the franchise missed the postseason. The Browns ended the 2025 NFL season with a 5-12 record, giving ownership enough cause to pivot away from Stefanski.
Stefanski’s tenure in Cleveland should be considered a success after he won two NFL Coach of the Year Awards and led them to the 2023 NFL playoffs. Given that Stefanski didn’t have the best quarterbacks at his disposal, it’s hard to fault him for the offensive struggles the team saw in recent years.
While the Browns are still in the middle of their head coaching search, Stefanski didn’t have to wait long before finding his next head coaching gig. The Atlanta Falcons swooped up Stefanski to become their next head coach, a move that was likely influenced by former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan, who is now their President of Football.
Stefanski will have plenty of offensive weapons like Bijan Robinson and Drake London to work with, as well as an ascending defense that was one of the stingiest in the league last season.
While Stefanski should feel fortunate he has a talented roster in Atlanta, Josh Cribbs believes they may have missed out on Sean McDermott via The Top Dawgs Show.
“The Atlanta Falcons probably like, ‘Dang, we should have waited a little longer, we might have had Sean McDermott here,'” Cribbs said.
Should the Atlanta Falcons regret hiring Kevin Stefanski before Sean McDermott became available? #DawgPound@HanfordDixon29 & @JoshCribbs16 wonder if Atlanta regrets hiring Kevin Stefanski so early. pic.twitter.com/BoO149HTBF
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) January 25, 2026
McDermott was surprisingly let go as the Buffalo Bills’ head coach after they were eliminated from the 2025 NFL Playoffs by the Denver Broncos. The Bills haven’t been able to get over the hump despite heroics from Josh Allen, so it ultimately cost McDermott his job.
There’s no question that McDermott is now the prize of the current head coaching hiring cycle, but perhaps the Falcons still wanted to go with someone with an offensive background.
Stefanski has a chance to prove that he was the correct hire, but McDermott is definitely someone to look out for in the coming weeks, as teams will surely covet his abilities.
NEXT: Browns Predicted To Break NFL Coaching Cycle Trend
