For the first four years of Kevin Stefanski’s tenure in Cleveland, the offensive guru naturally handled the playcalling responsibilities for the Browns. And with his job perhaps on the line following a disastrous 3-14 season, Stefanski announced on Thursday that he will be getting back to his roots.
Amidst a 1-6 start to the season in 2024, Stefanski relinquished play calling duties to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
Despite the change, nothing really changed for the Browns. The organization was never able to battle back from the terrible start to the season where Deshaun Watson was under center, although Jameis Winston did have a few moments of brilliance shortly followed by turnover-prone play.
It’s still unclear who will be under center for the Browns to start 2025. But whoever it is will be working closely with Stefanski, who will call plays for the organization.
“I’m going to call plays, and I reserve the right to change my mind,” said Stefanski during a press conference on Thursday, which was transcribed by ESPN.
The Browns did bring in a new offensive coordinator, who most recently served as the offensive coordinator at Alabama prior to taking the Browns job earlier this offseason.
At least for now, Rees will not have play calling responsibilities. Although a slow start to the season again for the Browns in 2025 could result in that changing.
Stefanski has of course had success at the NFL level, with multiple double-digit seasons under his belt. However, another poor season could very well cost him his job.
With that in mind, it seems like Stefanski wants to at least go out on his own terms and call plays in what could be his final year in Cleveland.
Considering there is quite a bit on the line for Stefanski, perhaps he looks to bring in a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, where the Browns will have the No. 2 overall pick.
Either way, the Browns will need to bring someone capable of running Stefanski’s offense as planned if the two-time Coach of the Year wants to stick around long-term in Cleveland.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.