CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kevin Stefanski’s tenure as the Browns’ head coach came to a close Monday morning.
His six seasons featured highs that came with double-digit-win seasons, playoff berths and wto Coach of the Year awards. They also featured lows that resulted in bottom ranks in statistics, roster turnover, and eventually, Stefanski’s firing.
What kind of legacy does he leave behind?
Stefanski’s hiring in 2020 was part of a wave of young offensive minds becoming head coaches. This included a rise in using analytics and data for decision-making. So it’s right to examine Stefanski’s legacy through the lens of analytics and data.
Here’s a look at his body of work through different areas of the game, some of which became Stefanski staples, from offensive output, to fourth-down aggressiveness, and more.
Kevin Stefanski ranks fourth all time in most coaching wins in franchise history.John Kuntz, cleveland.com45
Here’s where Stefanski ranks among all-time Browns coaches:
Third in games coached (101).Fourth in most wins (45).Fourth in playoff games coached (three).1 of 2 coaches with multiple 11-win seasons (two): Paul Brown racked up five 11-win seasons.Tied for second in NFL Coach of the Year awards (two): Paul Brown won four times (1949, 1951, 1953, 1957), Sam Rutigliano also won twice (1979, 1980).3
Before Stefanski came to Cleveland, the 2007 Browns held the highest point average (25.1) since the franchise returned in 1999, and that squad ranked eighth in the NFL that season.
After Stefanski’s exit, the 2007 Browns still hold the top spot. However, the three best Browns offenses all derive from the Stefanski regime. Below are the top five Browns offenses since 1999. Attached to them are their individual ranks from their respective seasons.
(Teams with an asterisk were Stefanski-coached)
2007 Browns (8th)2023 Browns* (10th)2020 Browns* (14th)2022 Browns* (18th)2002 Browns (19th)
Quarterback Joe Flacco and wide receiver Elijah Moore helped lead the 2023 Browns to the playoffs.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
The 2023 Browns tied for 10th in points (23.3) during a season of resilience through injuries and comeback wins that led to a playoff berth.
The 2020 Browns were Stefanski’s first team, played during the COVID-19 pandemic and ranked 14th rank in points (25.5). And of course, the Browns put up 48 points in the wild card playoff win over Pittsburgh, despite Stefanski’s absence in that game as he recovered from COVID-19.
The 2022 Browns were underwhelming seven-win team that featured an 18th rank in points (21.2). But compared to other Browns teams of the 21st century, that ranks pretty well.
Fourth downs
Stefanski was among the most aggressive coaches when it came to going for it on fourth down.
It was something rarely done in the eras before him, but Stefanski brought a tendency to go for it, especially on fourth and short.
The chart below shows Cleveland’s year-by-year rank in fourth-down conversions, attempts and conversion percentage from Stefanski’s six-season tenure.
The totals and rankings come from ESPNStats.
YearConv.Att.Conversion %Rank in %202082433.3%30th2021122941.4%30th2022234254.8%8th2023183256.3%10th (tie)2024 244454.617th2025122941.430th
Those 2022 and 2024 seasons are nearly identical across the board and differ from the other four seasons of the Stefanski era.
Here’s why.
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In 2022, while Deshaun Watson was serving his 11-game suspension, backup Jacoby Brissett was the starter.
In 2024, after Watson injured his Achilles in Week 7, backup Jameis Winston started the following seven games.
Both backups brought broad statures that Stefanski used to his advantage for the quarterback sneak.
When approaching a fourth down with one to 3 yards needed for a first down, Brissett rushed 10 times and converted eight of those rushes for a first down, according to Pro Football Reference.
When approaching a fourth down with 1-3 yards needed for a first down, Winston rushed eight times and converted all eight rushes for a first down, along with one touchdown.
Running back Nick Chubb continued his production of five or more yards per carry during the Kevin Stefanski-era.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com2
When Stefanski arrived in Cleveland, he inherited a talent in running back Nick Chubb.
Dating back to 1999 and before Stefanski got to Cleveland in 2020, Chubb was the only back to average 5 or more yards per carry, with 5.2 per carry in 2018 and 5.0 in 2019.
During Stefanski’s tenure, he had two backs average 5.0 or more yards per carry.
Stefanski’s offense helped Chubb continue his production of five or more yards per carry before his MCL tear early in 2023. Jerome Ford was up next as the RB1 that season, finishing with 4.0 yards per carry. He upped it to a 5.4 average in 2024.
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There were highs for Browns pass catchers, notably in 2023 when Amari Cooper’s 1,250 yards finished 10th best in the league.
There also were lows, especially when it came to dropping passes.
Below are the Browns’ ranks by season for most dropped passes through Stefanski’s tenure:
2020 – tied for 22nd rank (21)2021 – tied for 19th rank (25)2022 – tied for fifth rank (37)2023 – second rank (42)2024 – first rank (49)2025 – seventh rank (25)
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy led the NFL in dropped passes for a second straight season in 2025.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Five times did the Browns have a player log double-digit dropped passes.
2022 – Amari Cooper ranked second in dropped passes (12).
2023 – David Njoku finished third in dropped passes (11)
2024 – Jerry Jeudy led all players in dropped passes (13)
2024 – Cooper finished second in dropped passes (12). He was traded to Buffalo after Week 6, but 10 of his drops came with Cleveland that season. That still would’ve made him and Jeudy the only NFL players with 10 or more drops.
2025 – Jeudy tied for first (10)
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Stefanski also took to challenging plays.
There isn’t much information available in regard to NFL head coaches challenging plays, but FoxSports did track the success rate of challenges for all active coaches through Week 3 of the 2025 season, and Stefanski tied for eighth in success rate on challenging plays (50.0%). From 2020 to Week 3 of the 2025 season, he had won 10 of his 20 challenges.
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