Have Browns made Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry decisions already?

With each Cleveland Browns loss this fall, whispers have grown louder among some media members suggesting that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam could part ways with head coach Kevin Stefanski and/or general manager Andrew Berry once the ongoing season wraps up. 

In his latest mailbag published on Wednesday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated addressed the topic that could hover over the Browns through the end of Week 18. 

Why Browns won't fire Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry despite lackluster records

"The reason it won’t happen is because it took nearly a decade for Jimmy Haslam and his family to find the right structure and mix of people to run their football operation," Breer wrote about why he thinks Stefanski and Berry will stay put. "The combination of Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry delivered playoff berths in Year 1 (2020) and Year 4 (2023), and the bumps since can be connected back to the organizational decision to trade for Deshaun Watson. As such, one bad year needs to be considered with context."

Ahead of the 2025 draft, Haslam told fans that he and Browns co-owner Dee Haslam should be held "accountable" for the Watson move that will go down as one of the worst roster decisions ever made by a Cleveland regime. The Haslams gave Watson a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract to accept a trade from the Houston Texans in March 2022, and he has since made just 19 regular-season starts. 

That said, the Browns have gone 6-23 since the start of last season and will complete a fourth losing campaign in five years. As Breer noted, former Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta leaving the club to become the Colorado Rockies' president of baseball operations "raises questions about whether his absence will lead to a more thorough review of how they build." 

Breer hinted such questions have already been answered. 

Albert Breer predicts Browns' final Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry decisions

"Stefanski and Berry get another year and a chance to build off a really good 2025 draft class, with two first-round picks to work with in April and a big quarterback question to answer," Breer predicted. 

Defensive tackle Mason Graham, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, running back Quinshon Judkins, tight end Harold Fannin Jr., running back Dylan Sampson and wide receiver Isaiah Bond are among the Cleveland rookies who have shown plenty of promise. Neither Shedeur Sanders nor Dillon Gabriel has done anything via their on-the-field performances to stop the Browns from drafting a top-tier quarterback prospect next year, but Sanders has thus far made just two starts. 

The 3-9 Browns will host the 1-11 Tennessee Titans on Sunday. One wonders if the outcome of at least that game could cause the Haslams to reconsider the statuses of Stefanski and Berry.