The key to Browns’ future is finding the right coach and quarterback

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.

Second thoughts on Bills 23, Browns 20 …

1. One of the occupational hazards of earning millions of dollars as an NFL team executive or coach is facing job termination around Christmastime. Or at least speculation about one’s job future. It might be one reason why some team owners convinced of changes coming do the deed at mid-season or at bye week. Jimmy Haslam declined to pull the plug on the Kevin Stefanski-Andrew Berry partnership when it was obviously kindling into a dumpster fire. So now Haslam would come off as the Grinch if he hands his top two football men termination notices. It's no reason not to make changes, of course.

2. The Stefanski-Berry era essentially ended when Paul DePodesta read the writing on the wall and bolted to MLB in November to build a new infrastructure for the Colorado Rockies. DePodesta married Stefanski and Berry as partners in 2020. The three Ivy Leaguers would revolutionize the NFL through data driven analytics. Or so they thought. While the Browns had more success under Stefanski and Berry than any previous Haslam-appointed regimes, it was a very low bar they surpassed. Two playoff appearances and one post-season win do not offset the overall record of 44-57.

3. Regardless of who was responsible for the seminal transaction of their era – the Deshaun Watson trade and record contract – the fact is the franchise is in worse shape now. Six years into their partnership, the Browns have no franchise quarterback, no stalwart left tackle to anchor his protection and no elite receiver to run under his passes. Berry’s first attempt at filling those vital roster roles resulted in Watson, Jedrick Wills and Amari Cooper/Jerry Jeudy. How anyone can expect Berry to get it right the second time around is beyond me. In my opinion,  Stefanski did his job better than Berry over the course of their partnership. Sure, that ledger turned in Berry’s favor this year based on his 2025 draft. But I can argue the drafting of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders created unique problems for Stefanski and any future coaching staff going forward. The fact Berry stood by and watched Stefanski and his coaches waste all of training camp giving Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett the majority of first-team quarterback reps only to trade them both by October proved the two men are no longer in alignment. If that coveted alignment was the only reason for Haslam to go forward with Stefanski and Berry, it is no longer a valid excuse for keeping status quo.

4. It has been Haslam’s misfortune – and that of their long-suffering fans – that the Browns never hit rock bottom with a no-brainer franchise quarterback awaiting in the draft, a la Cincinnati and Joe Burrow. Or they fail to pick the right guy. Choosing Baker Mayfield over Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson led to pursuing and overpaying for Watson. Which has led to where we’re at now – contemplating a run at Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore v. anointing Sanders the 2026 starter and using high picks to build around him. These are decisions wrought with risks and second-guessing. If they make the wrong calls, Haslam’s covered stadium in Brook Park will open with empty seats. I don’t know how anyone can trust Stefanski and Berry to get it right. Berry’s major quarterback transactions in his six years have been Watson, Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Gabriel and Sanders. That record alone should disqualify Berry from seeing a seventh season as GM.

5. Early in my career, a wise man told me the key to sustained success in the NFL is finding the right coach and the right quarterback. Those are the two most important hires a team owner can make. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Their dynasty has given way to a new era of coach-quarterback combinations that will rule the NFL in the coming years. Sean Payton and Bo Nix. Jim Harbaugh and Justin Herbert. Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye. DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud. Sean McDermott and Josh Allen. Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. Finding the right coach and right quarterback must be Haslam’s No. 1 objective this offseason.

6. Stefanski verified that running back Quinshon Judkins will undergo surgery soon on a dislocated right ankle. Judkins also suffered a fractured right fibula in the Buffalo game. Two serious injuries on the same leg for a running back is not a good thing, of course, but Stefanski maintained, “He’ll bounce back better than ever.” Stefanski declined to speculate on a timetable for Judkins’ return in 2026. Judkins’ rookie season ends with 827 rushing yards in 15 games and seven touchdowns and a 3.6-yard rush average. It was a similar rookie season to Trent Richardson’s first year in 2012. In 15 games, Richardson had 950 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns and a 3.6-yard average.