Are Browns’ Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry already secure for 2026?

Whereas talking with reporters on Monday, Cleveland Browns proprietor Jimmy Haslam raised eyebrows when he stated that he and Browns co-owner Dee Haslam, relatively than common supervisor Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski, must be held liable for the membership buying quarterback Deshaun Watson after which giving him a completely assured five-year, $230M contract in March 2022. 

Haslam could have additionally revealed that those that consider Berry and Stefanski are coming into a must-win season relating to their Cleveland tenures are incorrect. 

“We sat right here final 12 months and Kevin was a two-time out of 4 years Coach of the Yr, and Andrew was considered one of many prime executives in professional soccer on the age of 37 years outdated,” Haslam stated, as shared by Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand. “So, I do not suppose they forgot how one can coach. I do not suppose they forgot how one can do personnel. There’s issues each of them can do higher. There’s issues our whole group may do higher. It is just a little little bit of every thing that would go mistaken did go mistaken, however I do not wish to make any excuses. They will each do higher, however now we have excessive confidence in each of them.”

The Haslams signed Berry and Stefanski to contract extensions final offseason earlier than Watson suffered a pair of great Achilles accidents and earlier than Cleveland endured a 3-14 marketing campaign. With the Browns seemingly on monitor to indicate Watson the door in 2026, many have assumed for months that Jimmy Haslam would marketing campaign for the membership to spend the second general choose of the 2025 draft on a quarterback akin to Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, despite the fact that Sanders’ draft inventory fell all through the spring. 

“I feel the message is that if the best particular person’s there, we’ll take him,” Haslam stated about presumably addressing the quarterback place through the second general choice. “If not, we’ll determine it out for a 12 months or two till we get the best particular person.”

That remark signifies a Browns crew that at present has former Pittsburgh Steelers flop Kenny Pickett as its QB1 might be prepared to draft a undertaking signal-caller akin to Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. Historical past reveals that executives and coaches in worry of shedding their jobs typically “attain” for quarterbacks throughout drafts, but it surely appears like Berry and Stefanski have causes to consider they’re going to be secure by no less than the beginning of the 2026 season. 

The notion has existed for years that Berry and Stefanski had been liable for the Browns’ controversial alternative of fan favourite Baker Mayfield with Watson after questions arose in January 2022 relating to Stefanski’s working relationship with Mayfield. 

Jimmy Haslam accepting blame for that transfer and subsequently backing Berry and Stefanski may present that this regime will get multiple offseason to proper the ship after it guided the 2023 Browns to a playoff berth.