The new Browns head coach has 14 years of cultivating an offense and watching strong defenses do their magic, so there’s reason to expect the best.
Kevin Stefanski has a lot of work to do with righting the ship. A culture change is in order and a strong head coach that doesn’t bend to the whims of divas is what the Browns need. Is that what they got? We’ll find out. The Vikings were a well-coached team for years. Stefanski got to work with Brett Favre, Kirk Cousins, Teddy Bridgewater, and Case Keenum, showing he has the ability to work with any sort of quarterback.
Part of the challenge is dispelling a false narrative, that he’s somehow lacking experience. That couldn’t be further from the case, as Stefanski was the assistant head coach under Brad Childress during his first few years with the Vikings. Stefanski is also used to dealing with controversies, having overseen the Teddy Bridgewater injuries, Case Keenum’s insertion and the heavy (and unfair) criticism of Kirk Cousins’ play for the team. He’s used to dealing with all sorts of players and the issues that come up. This will give him a good insight into dealing with Baker Mayfield.
He also saw what a good defense can be, having coached opposite of some strong, top-10 defensive squads. Watching the defense carry some games is going to allow someone like Stefanski to not neglect the other side of the ball. He has an idea of what going on, and there’s every possibility the Browns got the right guy. There’s every possibility that they didn’t too, after all, the Browns are still owned by Jimmy Haslem.
Despite the rumors of what Stefanski will have to deal with and the rumor that an analytic guy will be on the coaching staff, Stefanski offers a lot of positives for the players still on the roster. The team is back to zero, regardless. A new coach, a new squad, a new direction. There are going to be players who benefit from this hire, and some who don’t. Let’s take a look at the five players that will benefit from the hiring of Stefanski.
Joe Schobert
It might be a done deal on Joe Schobert, due to “analytics” but Stefanski is aware of the value of a player of Schobert’s caliber. Some claim Schobert only made tackles “ten yards down the field” which is first; not true. Secondly, he had plenty of tackles at the line or behind. It’s not our job to show you every one. Schobert was the best player in a bad linebacker’s corp. Mack Wilson showed promise but only really showed up for a few games. Christian Kirksey was injured for most of the year, marking the second straight year that he suffered a major injury and someone like Sione Takitaki really didn’t break the game with his limited play.
Schobert is the best linebacker on the team by a large margin. With the failed acquisition of Oliva Vernon, the team can’t afford to create another hole to fill. The team was 19th in the league in yards, and third-worst in rushing. The defensive line didn’t show up, and most games it felt like only Schobert was making tackles. He can’t cover every gap assignment, others need to step up.
Stefanski should know this, he was apart of the staff that fought tooth and nail to retain Anthony Barr. Schobert is a better player than Barr and that alone should be the reason why he gets re-signed. A leader like Schobert can’t be measured with analytics. It can’t be graded by that either. Sure, there is a limit to how much you should pay Schobert. That’s the case for every single player just about, however. There’s a limit for just about every player in the NFL.
Stefanski should know the team can’t afford to keep replacing players, and it’d be hard to argue against giving the coach guys he needs. So if Stefanski goes to bat for Schobert, the former Pro Bowler could end up staying in Cleveland, which would give the team one less hole to worry about, and would allow them to build a better defense through the draft. Rebuilding it around Schobert, Myles Garrett, and Denzel Ward.
Denzel Ward
Denzel Ward had a rough year at times. He doesn’t appear to be that good of a tackler, but despite having no real safety help to brag about, Ward did help lead the 7th best passing defense and that should be commended. Ward and Myles Garrett should be praised for their effectiveness in negating the passing game.
With Ward, the goal is to bring in a better second defensive end, as well as some help over the top. Guys like Damarious Randall, Morgan Burnett, and Jermaine Whitehead aren’t the answer. Randall more than either could be on this team long term, as he’s young and efficient enough. If there isn’t an obvious upgrade for both positions, you don’t just get rid of Randall. That said, you do need help behind them. Safety’s are crucial and playing the season with Burnette and Whitehead getting big minutes won’t help anyone.
Stefanski had a future Hall of Famer on his team in Minnesota with Harrison Smith, and is well aware of the difference a great safety has on the passing game. As is any Pop Warner player. Improving the secondary would help Ward truly stand out. Ward is a good corner on his own, but football more than any other sport demands that it’s players move and work as one. Hopefully, Ward will have help in new safeties and a much improved Greedy Williams.
Ward favors differently than Schobert because he’s guaranteed to be in Cleveland, assuming Stefanski and the new front office doesn’t opt to move him. The hope is that Stefanski brings in a quality defensive coordinator, and can shore up some of the issues the defense faced last year. Regardless of Garrett, the team – Ward included – weren’t as efficient in the second half. If you only have one pass rusher then either you’re not a good team, or you don’t have a good scheme. Ward should benefit from improvements to both.
Baker Mayfield
This one is the most obvious. The one thing Stefanski is going to do is run the ball. That is only going to be a good thing for the Browns and namely Mayfield. Mayfield can play, he didn’t forget in one season. He was in his second year, with a bum offensive line, a banged-up wide receiver, no tight ends or slot receivers to write home about and a head coach calling the wrong plays at the worst times.
With Stefanski, the game plans should be obviously better. He has a history of creative offensive drives and he knows how to manage the game. Hopefully, Stefanski won’t call his own plays, leading to more dialogue and a well-discussed gameplan being crafted from the input of the men hired to be keen observers of the football world.
It also means that Stefanski will re-evaluate the roster, and make improvements; which means the offensive line should receive much-needed upgrades. The team was a wreck in the passing game, losing Kevin Zeitler was not a small blow. It wrecked the line. Wyatt Teller was a poor replacement and the tackles at times looked lost trying to pick up their passing assignments.
The other thing that will change is the depth at receiver. The team was clearly lacking a third option at times and even a second option. Building depth is paramount so that Jarvis Landry can be more effective in the passing game. Tight end is also another position that will be upgraded, as David Njoku is not the guy. Plagued by injuries all year, the soon to be fourth-year player hasn’t lived up to his lofty first-round selection and giving Mayfield a tight end worth his salary will give the quarterback a safety blanket to check down to.
More reliance on the running game will also help Mayfield, as it’ll force defenses to play him honestly and not just prepare for the pass. Something that the Browns got away from at times.
Nick Chubb
Speaking of the running game, Nick Chubb is about to get a rushing title if he stays healthy. Chubb fell 46 yards short of the title this year to Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, and that was with a head coach that didn’t give Chubb a minimum of 20 carries a whopping eight times during the 2019 season. Chubb only had 20+ carries three times all year. This was a man that averaged 5.0 yards a carry. Stefanski loves to run the ball, and Chubb should benefit from the run focus attack.
What happens to the backfield behind Chubb is anyone’s guess, but it was clear that trading away Duke Johnson was a mistake. Kareem Hunt is just as talented, no doubt, but he’s got too much baggage to retain. Clearing out the talent that has problems is a must. Hunt, and maybe even Odell Beckham could be on their way out due to their past problems. Should Hunt be on the chopping block, then that means Chubb would carry more of a roll. There’s also the fact that Stefanski will more than likely want a better blocker than Hunt.
The addition of a potential fullback in a lot of plays will also free up Chubb. No longer will he have to rely on just zone blocking and running through arm tackles to get big yards. Now he’d have a designated blocker that can help him get through those pesky linebackers and up to the most edible of players; the arm tackling secondary. The possibility of Chubb hitting 2,000 with a fullback and a better offensive line is a realistic possibility under Stefanski.
You’ll want to have a backrub running back that can spell Chubb, and there’ll be plenty of them in the draft. Hey, maybe for chuckles, Stefanski can bring back Peyton Hillis. I mean, why not? New year, new regime and all that. Jokes aside, the possibility of getting a secondary runner and primary blocker in a fullback is likely. So much potential lies in front of Chubb dominating the league if Stefanski just dedicates to a run-first offense.
Joel Bitonio
This may be a headscratcher but let me explain. The offensive line more than any other group in football has to be cohesive. It’s debatable that the line needs to be completely overhauled. Bitonio and center JC Tretter are more than likely coming back. They work well together and really helped solidify the run game.
Bitonio’s tackle, Greg Robinson, is on his third team and was the second overall pick from the 2014 draft. For those of you unaware, that’s the Johnny Manziel-Justin Gilbert draft. So you know, high-quality stock in that draft class. Robinson has played well, but not well enough that an upgrade can’t be had. Coming off the Joe Thomas era, we were spoiled by a great left tackle. Robinson isn’t on that level, nor is he on the level beneath that. Robinson will not be a Hall of Famer, nor will he be a Pro Bowler. If the team can upgrade the position, they should. Bitonio is a top ten, arguably a top-five guard in the league. He needs a compliment that is on a similar Pro Bowl level to ensure the best possible usage of Bitonio.
That said, another potential option is moving Bitonio to left tackle and bringing in two new guards. Bitonio was a tackle at Nevada and could be the best option out there to protect Mayfield’s blindside. It would cause a lot of shakeup on the line, maybe more than needs to happen but the pass protection improvement that it would bring Mayfield may be worth it.
On the line, if you have one bad player, the whole line is ineffective. Bitonio is one of the better guards in the league and he’s getting older. Securing the line, adding a free agent, or a few draft picks would really highlight just how good Bitonio is. That and the fact that they’ll be passing less and running more. With Stefanski implementing a heavier run attack, presumably, you can assault the defense over the course of a game, and tire them out. That way the defensive line won’t be as effective on the pass rush, thus helping the pass blocking out even more.
All those will make Bitonio not just a future recurring Pro Bowler but a potential All-Pro guard.