Grading the Falcons hire of Kevin Stefanski

From the jump, the two names linked to the Atlanta Falcons following their decision to fire head coach Raheem Morris were John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski. Once Harbaugh inked a deal with the Giants, the Falcons appeared to have a clear frontrunner, and Arthur Blank and Matt Ryan refused to let him leave their second meeting without signing a deal.

Stefanski comes from Cleveland, where he did a lot of things right over his six years with the Browns, leading them to the postseason twice and winning two Coach of the Year awards. However, the ending to his tenure was rather bleak, as the Browns won just eight games over his final two seasons compared to 26 losses.

How much of that was his fault? Anybody painting him as the primary culprit just wasn’t paying attention. The Browns committed $230 million guaranteed to Deshaun Watson, who has played in just 19 games over the last three seasons since signing that deal. Because of that, Stefanski had to turn to the likes of Jameis Winston, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel to start the bulk of the games over the last two years. No coach is going to have much success in that situation, especially when the Browns were committing so much of their cap space to Watson.

While Harbaugh may have been alongside Stefanski at the top of the Falcons’ wish list, it makes the most sense for Atlanta to go the offensive route. They need someone that can help develop a young quarterback, whether that be Michael Penix Jr. or the next guy. The position has been a turnstile ever since Matt Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts a half decade ago, and no team has ever found consistent success without quality play from under center.

That will ultimately determine the fate of Stefanski in Atlanta. He did help Baker Mayfield throw for 26 touchdowns compared to just eight interceptions in their first season together after Mayfield struggled through his first two NFL campaigns.

“The past few seasons were tough for Stefanski, as the Browns cycled through quarterbacks,” Daniel Oyefusi wrote for ESPN. “But there was a time when Stefanski helped develop Baker Mayfield as a young quarterback. In Mayfield’s first season with Stefanski, he threw 26 touchdowns to just eight interceptions with a 95.9 passer rating, the second-best single-season mark of his career.”

The task with Penix, who is also entering his third NFL season, will likely be more difficult considering he’s coming off a third ACL injury, but Stefanski’s vision begins and ends with the running game. The Browns ranked inside the top five in rushing yards per game three times under his watch, and he’s never had a running back as talented as Bijan Robinson in the backfield, which should have fantasy owners salivating over the potential of this pairing.

In a cycle where there were a shocking 10 head coach openings around the league and not a lot of elite candidates to fill them, the hiring of Kevin Stefanski should be viewed as a positive. This is a coach that made the Cleveland Browns a relevant franchise over his first four years. And just as important, the process under Matt Ryan’s watch — compared to two years ago when the Bill Belichick fiasco transpired — was far smoother. Add in another plus with the Falcons being able to retain Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator, and it’s hard to find a lot to dislike.

Grade: B