It was surprising to nobody when the Cleveland Browns decided to fire Kevin Stefanski on Black Monday immediately after the 2025 season ended. Even though he was named Coach of the Year twice, led this team to its first playoff win in decades, and finished the year on a two-game winning streak, it was simply time to get a new voice in the locker room after going 8-26 over the past two years.
What wasn’t surprising was how quickly Stefanski landed on his feet elsewhere, as the Atlanta Falcons swooped right in and signed him to a five-year deal. Now that Cleveland finally has its guy after hiring Todd Monken, it’s time to move on to filling out the staff, scouting for the draft, and reflecting on everything that has taken place over the past three weeks.
Legendary return man Josh Cribbs recently touched on the Stefanski firing during a recent episode of The Top Dawgs Show.
He agreed that it was time to move on, even though Stefanski had such a great run in Cleveland.
“I think it was an acceptable move. It definitely ran its course. It was time.”
"It ran its course. It was time." #DawgPound@JoshCribbs16 ultimately agrees with the Browns' decision to fire Kevin Stefanski after seeing the coaching carousel unfold. pic.twitter.com/9Xd2bmQKJl
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) January 31, 2026
This seems to be the common sentiment amongst the fans and the media regarding Stefanski, even though he is certainly not solely responsible for how things have transpired over the past couple of years. The roster has been a mess, particularly on the offensive side, and Stefanski has been having to cycle through three, four, and sometimes five different starting quarterbacks just to make it through the season.
He brought plenty of stability to the organization, as his six-year tenure was the longest of any Browns coach since Sam Rutigliano in 1978-84. Prior to Stefanski’s hire in 2020, the Browns had seven different head coaches since 2010, not including interim coaches.
This is Monken’s first shot as a head coach after decades as an offensive guru, and all signs point to him being up for the task.
Fans all wish Stefanski the best in Atlanta, but it’s time to get to work and get behind Monken.
NEXT: Former Player Predicts Todd Monken Will Fix Browns' Biggest Problem
