At 2-7, the Browns have been one of the league’s biggest disappointments
The Cleveland Browns returned from their bye week to practice in Berea yesterday afternoon. Their opponent on Sunday appears to be rejuvenated after a big divisional win after firing their head coach days earlier.
The New Orleans Saints beat the Falcons after firing head coach Dennis Allen on the strength of two touchdown passes from Derek Carr to Marquez Valdes -Scantling. The Browns will need their defense to step up and their offense to fix the issues that have plagued them all year in order to win.
Is Cleveland’s head coach among those on the hot seat the rest of the year?
Despite losing some players to injured reserve, the Browns should be the healthiest they’ve been all year after the bye week. Hopefully, head coach Kevin Stefanski has not only corrected schematic issues but also found a message to resonate with the players in the locker room.
At 2-7, and with numerous pending free agents, pride and opportunities elsewhere may be the key motivation moving forward. Despite the lack of winning this year, the perceptions around the league don’t expect major changes coming to Cleveland.
Internally, general manager Andrew Berry gave Stefanski an uncharacteristically emphatic endorsement last week during his press conference when asked about their job security. Berry said: “I think there are 13 coaches in the history of the sport to win a Coach of the Year award multiple times, 10 of them went to a Super Bowl or an NFL Championship, six of them won one, and seven are in the Hall of Fame and he’s the second fastest to do it. Kevin’s an outstanding coach and he’s absolutely part of the solution with everything.”
We know everyone isn’t happy with the results this season, but exactly how bad would things have to go down the stretch for a change to be considered? The Browns have the second toughest strength of schedule remaining, so wins might be very difficult to come by.
A little later Tuesday morning, ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi shared his belief that Stefanski and Berry have been given a mandate to win this year, even if it doesn’t help the team in the long run:
.@TonyGrossi is picking up on very ODD vibes from Berea right now…
“I think they’re getting pressure from inside that there’s a certain number [of wins] they have to get to to keep their jobs” pic.twitter.com/EHTIc28jL8
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) November 12, 2024
That brings us to our question of today’s Dawg Pound Discourse. How many more wins would it take for you to be completely comfortable with bringing Stefanski back as head coach?
Maybe you’re already there regardless of the results moving forward but if you’re anything like me, you believe Stefanski should be coaching for his job down the stretch. You likely want to see the team play hard for him and his coaches to improve by making the needed adjustments to play competitive and even winning football.
Now, I want to hear from you. With eight games remaining, how many wins would it take for Stefanski to be marked safe on “Black Monday” at the end of the year? Let us know, and check out what others think in the comments below.