The Cleveland Browns are 2-7 and all but out of the AFC playoff race. The brief glimmer of hope after upsetting the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8 was exactly that — brief.
The clock struck midnight on Jameis Winston in Week 9. The quarterback made his second start in place of Deshaun Watson, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 7. Winston threw three interceptions in Cleveland's 27-10 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.
While the Browns have signaled their resignation to rebuild territory by trading away wide receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end Za'Darius Smith, Browns GM Andrew Berry is not burning it all down.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski's job appears safe for the foreseeable future.
"I think there are 13 coaches in the history of the sport to win a Coach of the Year award multiple times," Berry told reporters on Wednesday, November 6. "Ten of them went to a Super Bowl or NFL championship, six of them won one, and seven are in the Hall of Fame. And he's the second-fastest to do it. Like, Kevin's an outstanding coach, and he's absolutely a part of the solution."
Stefanski arrived in Cleveland in 2020 and won Coach of the Year after leading the Browns to an 11-5 record and the franchise's first playoff berth since the 2002 NFL season — ending what was then the league's longest active playoff drought before losing to Kansas City in the Divisional Round. Stefanski collected his second Coach of the Year award last season when he patchworked the quarterback position — eventually landing on 2023 Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco — en route to an 11-6 record and loss to Houston in the Wild Card Round.
Uncertainty at quarterback has undoubtedly held back the Browns. Namely, the Browns' decision to trade for Watson and, despite Watson facing multiple sexual misconduct lawsuits, sign him to a fully guaranteed contract in March 2022.
Berry also addressed Watson's future on Wednesday.
As per Mary Kay Cabot, Berry said that "all of us were on board" with the controversial Watson trade but remained ambiguous when addressing the 29-year-old's future with the team.
"Our focus with Deshaun — I would say for any player with a season-ending injury and a major injury — is first and foremost with recovery and to make sure he gets healthy from the Achilles injury," Berry said. "Everything else, we'll deal with at a later moment."
Watson has only played in 19 games across three seasons in Cleveland. The former Houston Texans star has fallen swiftly from grace — mustering only 3,365 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a 9-10 record as a starter.
The Browns have a bye this week and will presumably continue with Winston under center when visiting the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, November 17.
