Browns coach Kevin Stefanski makes interesting comment about giving up play calling

After last season’s three-win debacle, the Cleveland Browns fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey after the team’s offense struggled to score 20 points in most games.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski took over his offense again, vowing to get the team back to the 2023 version of what the Browns did offensively.

But as the Browns fell to 1-5 after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Stefanski left the door open to give up play calling once again.

“There’s a lot of things that we need to do better and obviously I’ll look at all things,” Stefanski said after the loss.

After a follow up question was asked to clarify if he was referencing play calling responsibilities, Stefanski did not rule out a change.

“There’s a long list of things we gotta do better.”

The Browns promoted tight end coach Tommy Rees to offensive coordinator after parting ways with Dorsey over the offseason. Rees had called plays in college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and Notre Dame Fighting Irish before joining Stefanski’s staff in the NFL.

The hire reflected Cleveland’s cohesion and “alignment” as an offensive staff. Rees was expected to freshen up Stefanski’s offense – making it more palatable for a modern NFL in 2025.

While the Browns value their process over everything, the results have yet to come true for Cleveland’s offense. The Browns have yet to score 20 points in a single game this season. The offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL. The wide receivers cannot catch the ball – nor can the tight ends. 

Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco was so bad that Stefanski admitted he was surprised when the Cincinnati Bengals picked up the phone to make a trade. Rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel has not been much better.

After Deshaun Watson was ruled out for the season last year with a ruptured Achilles tendon, Stefanski turned the play calling duties over to Dorsey, who was able to get things going for a short period of time with backup quarterback Jameis Winston.

As the losses pile up and the pressure mounts on this coaching staff, Stefanski could be forced into making a difficult decision. An even keeled personality, Stefanski’s strength as an offensive coach had been his play calling. Certainly, that has faltered.

Cleveland’s schedule softens a tad as they will host the lowly Miami Dolphins at Huntington Bank Field next week. After that game, the team will travel to play the New England Patriots in Week 8.

If Stefanski and Gabriel cannot get this offense moving over the next two weeks, it feels like even more changes could come as soon as Cleveland’s bye week.