Five years ago, the Cleveland Browns hired Kevin Stefanski as their head coach.
The results have been mixed during his tenure, but with his background as an offensive guru, the team was always expected to put up a lot of points on the scoreboard.
Needless to say, that hasn’t always been the case since he took over.
If anything, the Browns’ offense has struggled mightily over the past couple of years.
As Bill Barnwell pointed out on X, the Browns have had two of the most third-and-longs in the league in consecutive seasons.
Most third-and-10+ snaps for a team over the last five years
2023 Jets (Zach Wilson) 88
2023 Giants (Dimes, DeVito) 85
2024 Browns (Watson, Winston, DTR) 85
2022 Jets (Wilson) 82
2023 Browns (Watson, Flacco, DTR) 82
2024 Texans (Stroud) 82— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) January 11, 2025
They had 82 in 2023 and 85 this season.
Granted, much of that has also had to do with their instability at the quarterback position.
They had Deshaun Watson, P.J. Walker, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and Joe Flacco last season.
With Watson, Thompson-Robinson, Jameis Winston, and Bailey Zappe, things weren’t much better this time.
Stefanski will likely return to calling plays on offense next season, regardless of who the team hires as its next offensive coordinator.
Then again, that’s not going to be enough, obviously.
The team will also need to fix their offensive line.
In addition, they must address their never-ending issues with penalties.
It’s not easy to keep the chains in motion when you constantly give up yards or go backward.
Last but not least, finding a new quarterback will also be crucial to this team’s success, and it should be the team’s top priority heading into the offseason.
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