5 Kevin Stefanski Replacements Who Want to Save the Browns in 2025

I want to preface this by saying that I would not fire Kevin Stefanski if I were running the company. Cleveland Browns. It may be another hell of a year for this AFC North franchise, but this is a man who has brought some level of stability to an organization that bet on Baker Mayfield in favor of Deshaun Watson. While I think Stefanski can win a few games with Jameis Winston, he is very stretched.

Unfortunately, Jimmy Haslam is still the owner of the Browns. Once the Volunteer season is over for Tennessee’s biggest player known to man, he can focus all his attention on the day-to-day operations of his football team. This may be more of a formulation issue than anything else. Again, I feel like Haslam was the one who got Stefanski and Andrew Berry to acquire Watson from Houston.

Again, if I were calling the shots, I’d give Stefanski at least another year after this. I would be more inclined to move on from Berry than him as he played a big role in building this roster. Since Cleveland will almost certainly have a top-eight pick, I’d hazard a guess that they’ll select a quarterback since they don’t currently have a single player that’s even remotely good.

Since Haslam still owns the team, I’ll give you five Stefanski replacements that I think could work.

It just goes to show how few good head coaching candidates there are. While I don’t think Robert Saleh is such a great head coach, I recognize that the situation he just went through as a recently fired head coach New York Jets not that different from what Stefanski is tasked with doing in Cleveland. All I’m asking is that Saleh be allowed to choose his quarterback in 2025.

While this may not be the best quarterback draft class, that doesn’t mean Cleveland is completely devoid of talent in other position groups. Of course, the Browns need to find a way to get out of the Watson deal like there’s no tomorrow. Again, Saleh has a strikingly similar experience in this situation, as does Stefanski. However, he prefers the other side of the ball and has never led his team to the postseason.

Saleh will likely have to wait until the offseason for his next shot at being an NFL head coach.

I would watch closely Detroit Lions‘ another note coordinator. While Ben Johnson may get all the bad publicity, Glenn appears to be the leader among players on the defensive side of the ball. He came with Dan Campbell to Detroit from New Orleans, helping to rekindle the long-simmering fire that lived inside the Lions franchise. The fact that Glenn used to work for the Browns probably helped him get the interview.

For my money, I’d hazard a guess that both Glenn and Johnson will get head coaching opportunities this offseason. Johnson may have to choose where he goes, but most likely, all things being equal, he will choose Chicago. If I were running the Browns and needed a coaching change after Stefanski was fired, I think Glenn would be the ideal defensive-minded head coach to lead them.

If six more positions open up, Glenn should get one of them, but with fewer openings, it will be more difficult to do so.

If the Browns move on from Stefanski this offseason, I would only do so if I can find a former head coach, preferably one who has had success in the league before. While Kliff Kingsbury’s success leading the Arizona Cardinals has been fleeting, he appears to be overqualified as an offensive coordinator. Washington commanders are benefiting greatly from this under their new head coach Dan Quinn.

For all the accolades Lincoln Riley received for destroying two football bluebloods, Kingsbury was the better coach. The only problem is that he may not give an interview either. However, Kingsbury may not have as many opportunities to lead his next NFL team as other previously fired head coaches. I’d say his success in Arizona makes him an ideal candidate here.

The only real downside to this switch is that you may end up with more of the same.

Here! The best most unobvious candidate. At some point Baltimore Ravens Offensive coordinator Todd Monken should be taken seriously as an NFL head coach, right? He was previously excellent as an offensive coordinator, especially at Georgia and before that in Tampa Bay. Although he has no head coaching experience in the NFL, he once led Southern Miss.

There are two reasons Cleveland might consider hiring him. In addition to being a great offensive mind, hiring him would hurt the Browns’ bitter division rival. Second, given his coaching track record, as well as his young age, I would hazard a guess that Monken would jump at the opportunity to become a head coach if offered. The question is how many teams are going to give him one.

As with any of these head coaching candidates, let Monken choose the quarterback he wants.

Finally, the best candidate to replace Stefanski is Mike Vrabel. No, this isn’t some Freddie Kitchen crap from yesteryear. Vrabel should not have been fired as head coach of the dysfunctional Tennessee Titans. He is the ideal defensive-minded head coach who understands and appreciates offensive talent. Vrabel is the top coaching candidate this cycle.

The only problem with Vrabel being in the house is that he might not want to stay if Stefanski gets the ax. It would be a Catch 22, if you will. Outside of Cleveland, I can think of several other teams that would be looking to hire, including current NFL head coaching vacancies in New York and New Orleans, as well as perhaps his alma mater if Ryan Day is unable to lead Ohio State to college. Football playoffs.

Vrabel is the best head coaching candidate this cycle because he would work well just about anywhere.