It’s fair to say that most people believe that Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski will be coaching for his job for the second half of the season. With the offense struggling the way it is, it’s fair to question whether or not Stefanski will be here at the end of each week of the season, but most assume that the team will fire Stefanski at the end of the year, despite what Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam has said recently
.The odds of Stefanski getting fired midway through the season are unlikely;
he’s won Coach of the Year twice during his tenure, and he’s better than what people give him credit for.
However, let’s say that the Browns choose to fire Stefanski, will the job be attractive to upcoming suitors?
When it comes to any professional sports team that needs a head coach, the one thing that matters is the situation. Is the situation good? Is it bad? Stable? Unstable? It might be small to some, but it matters in many ways. Looking at the current situation for the Cleveland Browns, it’s complicated.
In terms of stability, they have been somewhat stable recently, but firing Stefanski (and perhaps GM Andrew Berry) would change that.
Sure, the Browns have replenished their draft pick treasure chest after depleting it due to the Deshaun Watson trade, but the roster situation isn’t the best. It’s obvious that the team doesn’t have a quarterback, but the current iteration of the offensive line is aging and not nearly as good as they were in years prior. In terms of the skill position group, the wide receiver room isn’t great, while the running back room has some form of promise there.
In terms of foundational pieces, the team has them when you look at their recent draft class, but it’s the rest of the roster that needs to be overhauled. The team was able to move off some of the aging veterans this offseason and could likely move off more with the trade deadline approaching. The team has embraced a youth movement with younger players with upside.
In terms of the structure of the team, the cap situation isn’t as bad as people will claim, but the issue is that Watson is still on the roster. Watson’s contract is the black cloud hanging over the team, and no one knows when the team could move off Watson without having to deal with the potential cap consequences.
A new head coach coming into the building doesn’t want to deal with the constant Watson questions. It’s the harsh reality of the situation. Also, Haslam has a reputation for being somewhat impulsive, which isn’t a good thing.
In terms of head coaching candidates, the pool this year is shaping up to be weaker than it was last offseason. Coaching retreads are risky, considering how those coaches coached before, but they ended up getting let go for a reason. It’s early, but it might be hard for the Browns to find a head coach willing to coach for the team if the situation isn’t ideal enough.
Situation matters, and the Cleveland Browns situation isn’t a situation that has the most promise.
