Nick Cammett/Getty Images
The Cleveland Browns do not appear to be approaching a leadership change in 2025.
On Friday’s episode of the Scoop City podcast, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Browns are not likely going to move on from head coach Kevin Stefanski or general manager Andrew Berry following the season and that the franchise recognizes that the struggles this season are more related to quarterback play.
“I talked to some people in Cleveland, and they tell me that Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski are going to be safe—they are going to come back next year,” Russini said (16:30 mark). “I think they realize that the problem that they’re having has more to do with the quarterback than it does with Kevin Stefanski.”
The Browns currently sit at 3-10 and in last place in the AFC North. This comes after a solid 11-6 campaign in 2023 and the franchise is currently on pace to have the worst record since its infamous 0-16 campaign in 2017.
Stefanski and Berry are in their fifth seasons at the helm and have led the franchise to its most consistent play since its re-entry into the NFL as an expansion team in 1999. Cleveland has reached the postseason twice, won a playoff game and has a promising roster packed with talent on the defensive side of the ball.
The struggles this season can be attributed to struggles at quarterback, as it has been mostly split between Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston. Watson entered his third season with the franchise with hopes that he could reclaim his old form but the 29-year-old was uninspiring in his seven games.
Watson threw for 1,148 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions and led the team to a 1-6 record. He went down for the season with a torn Achilles in October and the remaining two years on his five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract look like an albatross.
Winston has moved the offense a bit more, throwing for 1,975 yards and 13 touchdowns but his nine interceptions have not helped the team add more games to the win column.
The struggles at the position appear to have given Stefanski and Berry a longer leash but significant improvement in 2025 will likely be a requirement to advance past that season.
