NFLPA Report Cards Validate Browns’ Kevin Stefanski Decision

The NFLPA report cards are out.

And it’s not pretty for the Cleveland Browns.

For the second consecutive season, the Browns are the No. 30 ranked team in these NFLPA report cards which survey players on team accommodations for things like travel, facilities, family treatment, etc. The NFL forbade the NFLPA from publishing these report cards, but ESPN got their hands on it.

The Browns saw their locker room, training room and training staff all receive worse grades in 2025 than they had in 2024.Browns ownership received a C, better than just the Titans, Bengals, Buccaneers, Steelers and Cardinals.

Notably, former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was the worst-graded coach in the league last season with a C-.

Much of the time, these grades can be clouded by negative, losing cultures. The Browns are easy to punch down on because they haven’t been very good. Certainly, polling players during the midst of a painfully bad season isn’t the most accurate way of collecting objective data.

But Stefanski’s grade is notable. All season long, Browns fans were served opinions about how great of a coach Stefanski was while they watched their team on a downward spiral. The team won eight games in their last 34 attempts. The team had the worst offense in the NFL over that timeframe and Stefanski handed off play calling responsibilities to two different coordinators.

After Stefanski was fired from the Browns, he was quickly hired by the Atlanta Falcons. A few national pundits clutched their pearls and pointed their fingers in disgust at the Browns, for firing Stefanski. 

But these report cards are proof that Stefanski completely lost the trust of his players. The Browns were justified in their decision to part ways with Stefanski, even though he won the NFL’s Coach of the Year honors in Cleveland twice. Maybe he’ll be a good coach again in Atlanta. They have plenty of weapons, but no answer at quarterback.

New era for the Browns

It was time for the Browns to find a better match. While the losses undoubtedly upset Stefanski, his attitude came across as if he didn’t care. He did care, but that much losing was enough to cause a crack in any relationship. Browns general manager Andrew Berry won the power struggle that was beginning to form.

New Browns head coach Todd Monken is a breath of fresh air in a number of ways. Sure, the team still probably won’t be very good. Even if they completely ace a second consecutive draft class, the team doesn’t have a concrete plan at quarterback. But when you park that, there’s an aura about Monken that is fun.

When he approached his podium for the first time as a head coach at the NFL Combine, he made sure to call out how cool it was to be between Mike Vrabel and Mike Macdonald. His bright blue hoodie was purchased with a store credit he used before the Baltimore Ravens fired him.

Maybe Monken’s authenticity could connect with players in a way that Stefanski just wasn’t able to do. Even after the rare wins, Stefanski’s postgame talks that would be posted on social media seemed inauthentic. 

The Browns will keep their fingers crossed that Monken can catch lightning in the bottle with either Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, or an external quarterback. Even if the offense moves in the right direction and shows some promise, the stock arrow on the organization will be pointing up for the first time since 2023.

If the team starts improving, these grades will all improve, too.