The Cleveland Browns didn’t take long to fire Kevin Stefanski when the 2025 NFL season ended. The writing was on the wall for Stefanski in Cleveland, as he had won just eight games over the prior two seasons.
Fans were calling for his head, and at the end of the day, even though he has put together a few promising seasons for the Browns, this league is about winning, and winning now. Stefanski wasn’t doing that, and he’ll now have an opportunity to try his luck in Atlanta.
Meanwhile, the Browns are moving forward with Todd Monken as their newest head coach. Monken was highly regarded during his time with the Baltimore Ravens, notably helping Lamar Jackson stay on an MVP trajectory.
While Monken has a lot going for him, not everyone is sold on letting Stefanski walk, including Colin Cowherd, who believes the Browns will regret this move.
“When the Browns fired him, I said, you will not find a replacement as good as Kevin Stefanski,” Cowherd said.
Cowherd believes that getting rid of Stefanski was a mistake and that he’s a good coach who found himself in a bad situation with the Browns. Only time will tell what will happen with Monken and Stefanski for their respective teams in 2026, but it’s easy for analysts like Cowherd to take a victory lap on their takes before the season starts.
The Browns’ front office has a lot of work to do over the coming months to help put Monken in the best possible position. They have to address many key positions and rooms, both in the upcoming draft and free agency, and might have to get creative from a salary cap perspective.
Change isn’t going to happen by being stuck in their ways and doing things the way they’ve been done for years. The AFC North isn’t getting any easier, and the Browns need to find more ways to get competitive outside of finding a new coach who’s had success as a coordinator within the division.
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