It wasn’t shocking when the Cleveland Browns fired two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski on the heels of his 8-26 record over the past two years. He had some incredible highs during his six years at the helm, but it was simply time to get a new voice in the building, even though Stefanski is undoubtedly a great coach, which is why the Atlanta Falcons quickly scooped him up and named him their new head coach.
Nobody is of the belief that Stefanski is solely to blame for this team’s regression over the past two years, though many fans have questioned his handling of rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders in 2025. Each got an extended look as the starter after Joe Flacco was benched and traded, and one reporter recently stood up for Stefanski and how he handled the rookies.
NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala spoke about Stefanski’s handling of his rookie QBs and defended him.
While many fans accused Stefanski of setting up Sanders to fail, Kinkhabwala said he showed “great intentionality” in designing game plans specifically for Shedeur to make him as comfortable as possible.
“Kevin Stefanski came up with a very specific development plan for both of his rookie quarterbacks, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, and he tailored them to each of them. He devoted extra individual practice time every Friday and every Monday to the rookies who were playing. When Shedeur Sanders, early in the season wasn’t dressing, wasn’t getting a jersey, he was getting individual one-on-one coaching time every Friday and Monday after practice.”
Falcons fans must-listen!
Browns Preseason Sideline Reporter @AKinkhabwala joined @DukesandBell929 and dismissed rumors surrounding the treatment & relationship between Kevin Stefanski & Shedeur Sanders
LISTEN: pic.twitter.com/7v5B0NXhMT
— Chris Thomas – Turtle (@CThomasRadio) January 23, 2026
The discussion around Sanders was always overdramatic because it would have been irresponsible to put any fifth-round rookie behind a banged-up offensive line on a team that had the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL in 2024. Stefanski clearly handled the situation gently and did the best he could with what he had to work with.
The reality is that this is and was a flawed roster, and there wasn’t really a way for Stefanski to survive the situation.
He’ll now have plenty of weapons to work with in Atlanta, while the Browns need to find another coach who can design a capable game plan around Gabriel and Sanders.
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