Browns coach Kevin Stefanski admits he understands pressure about job status

The temperature has warmed on Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski as his team fell to 1–5 against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

It’s impossible to go around town without hearing Cleveland pundits questioning Stefanski’s job security moving forward.

But according to Stefanski at his press conference on Wednesday, he has not heard that noise.

“I don’t listen to it,” Stefanski said bluntly when he was asked about how he deals with outside noise and criticism.

Stefanski is 41-49 as the head coach of the Browns. His early success in Cleveland allowed him to win NFL Coach of the Year honors in 2020 and 2023. Stefanski was lauded as a coach that could get the most out of his quarterbacks and his rosters and looked to be one of the brightest, young offensive minds in the sport.

But that starpower has dimmed. Stefanski’s offense is the worst in football. He’s tried everything from changing coordinators and position coaches to handing off play calling responsibilities.

This season was supposed to be where Stefanski took over the reins of his team. The Browns were finally able to move on from the Deshaun Watson disaster after he ruptured his Achilles tendon twice. They fired Ken Dorsey and promoted Tommy Rees, another young offensive mind that was supposed to modernize Stefanski’s offense for a modern NFL.

But it has not happened. The Browns benched veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and traded him to the Cincinnati Bengals, eliminating any threat that he would ever start games for the Browns again.

The Browns decided to move forward with rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. Many pundits have noted how much Stefanski loved Gabriel’s understanding of the game and experience in college football. Through two starts, Gabriel has underwhelmed and looks like a backup quarterback – not a long-term answer.

As another season spirals with no end in sight, of course the pressure on Stefanski has magnified. The Browns are 4-19 over the last two seasons. The Tennessee Titans just fired head coach Brian Callahan who had that same record in his first two seasons.

The head coach desperately needs to find a way to stack some wins together in Cleveland. The Browns host the 1-5 Miami Dolphins on Sunday. They also have favorable matchups against the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders before the calendar flips to December.

During the preseason, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam quipped that three wins was not going to cut it. The Browns are one third of the way through their schedule and currently only have one victory. 

“I grew up in Philly, long time listener of WIP,” Stefanski said. “I understand. I also know in my chair I'm currently sitting in, I can't listen to that stuff.”