When Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry were hired by the Cleveland Browns, they both preached smart, tough and accountable.

Ironically, that moniker was dropped during the team’s pursuit of Deshaun Watson, who still faced 22 civil lawsuits stemming from his NFL suspension for inappropriate behavior while getting massages.

While Watson’s trade to the Browns has gone down as one of the worst in the history of sports, Cleveland is still searching for accountability.

The Browns are in the midst of a disastrous three-win season. However, one of ESPN’s top NFL news breakers, Jeremy Fowler, reported ahead of Week 14 that Stefanski would become a viable head coaching candidate if he was fired from his job in Cleveland.

Hours before that report came out, Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone blamed the lack of talent on the roster for the four different special teams gaffes that plagued the Browns in their latest comical loss.

Around Cleveland, fans and talking heads continue to prop up Berry’s 2025 NFL Draft class as rookies like Quinshon Judkins, Harold Fannin Jr., Mason Graham and Carson Schwesinger look to be foundational pieces to build around moving forward.

Some have speculated that Berry’s impressive rookie class paired with the draft night trade that landed the Browns an extra first-round pick in 2026 will be enough to save his job moving forward.

But what ever happened to the accountability that this regime evangelized less than one decade ago?

The Browns are 6-23 over the last two seasons.

If Stefanski is as highly-regarded in NFL circles as the national media leads on, then how is his team this bad? Similarly, if Berry is some sort of galactic-brained executive, how is the coaching staff complaining about the lack of talent on the roster?

An easy excuse is to point to the trade for Watson, which Browns owner Jimmy Haslam tagged as a “swing and a miss” before the season kicked off. Surely, three first-round draft picks plus $230 million on the cap sheet would have helped the Browns.

But they created this reality.

Stefanski and Berry signed up to run an organization quarterbacked by Baker Mayfield. They could not make it work for him, but his success as a franchise quarterback with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is an indictment on the individuals that ran him out of town.

And the replacement plan has been laughable.

Sure, nobody could have imagined that Watson would have only played 19 games for the Browns following his controversial trade and extension. A broken shoulder paired with two ruptured Achilles is enough to end any career, especially one that took nearly two seasons off because of a voluntary holdout and 11-game suspension, which the Browns underestimated.

But the other options have been embarrassing. 

Dorian Thompson-Robinson was a fifth-round pick in 2023 that is already out of the NFL after throwing one touchdown to 10 interceptions during his time with the Browns.

Joe Flacco was brought off his couch and led the Browns to the playoffs, but they chased him out of town to tailor the organization to Watson. Upon Flacco’s return to the Browns, Cleveland’s offensive line was old, expensive and neglected – as were their wide receivers.

The Browns inflated air into the tires of Dillon Gabriel all preseason, just for the 5-foot-11 “super computer” (their words) to hilariously underwhelm in five starts due to his physical limitations and lack of supporting cast. Polarizing fifth-round quarterback Shedeur Sanders is undeniably more talented than the rookie selected 50 slots ahead of him, but has faced some of his own struggles.

Where the Browns turn from here is wildly unknown and unpredictable.

They opened the 21-day practice window for Watson to return, but they likely cannot play him at Huntington Bank Field because of the vitriol reaction it would receive from the home fans.

Haslam stated that the team’s three-win result from last season isn’t good enough. Through 12 games, the Browns find themselves with just three wins again.

Even though Stefanski is somehow still held in high regard because of two distant Coach of the Year awards and Berry is ducking bye week press conferences after one decent draft, it certainly feels like the Browns are an organization that needs a reset.

How are the Browns this consistently bad if the two men running the team are so smart?

Stefanski and Berry have valued process over results since arriving in Berea. Unfortunately, somebody needs to take accountability for this broken process.