Browns: Kevin Stefanski deserved a Top 10 placing on Head Coach Power Rankings

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski just misses Top 10 in HC power rankings.

The Browns seem to have their best head coach since Bill Belichick in 39-year-old Kevin Stefanski. Stefanski marked the fourth head coach in three years when he was hired in 2020. He succeeded Hue Jackson, Gregg Williams, and Freddie Kitchens before putting together a playoff team in his first year on the job, all while managing a global pandemic.

Sports Illustrated noticed that and put Stefanski No. 12 on their NFL Head Coach Power Rankings. The decision is far from an insult but you could easily make the claim that he deserved to be much higher off of his 2020 campaign. That said, you could also argue that the 12th spot on this list is more than fair considering his single year on the job. Every coach above him on the list has been successful for a bit longer. The fact Stefanski was a rookie last year and doesn’t have the resume of other coaches hurt his standing. It also may have helped. We still don’t know if Stefanski is a great coach or just a coach who’s gotten the most out of the talent around him.

We certainly hope Stefanski stays consistent but we’ve seen coaches fall off after a year. Not saying that’s going to happen to Stefanski but it’s a fair concern to have when ranking coaches.

Kevin Stefanki and his lack of time as an NFL coach make his placing mostly fair

Coming in at No. 12 isn’t something to get angry about. When you have Sean McDermott, Matt LaFleur, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Pete Carroll, Bruce Arians, Sean Payton, John Harbough, Mike Tomlin, Andy Reid, and Belichick were all over Stefanski.

You could make an argument that Stefanski deserved a place over Shanahan, McVay, and even Tomlin considering all three coaches have been somewhat exposed in recent years. Even when you’re looking at three coaches who have been to the Super Bowl and in the case of Tomlin, a Super Bowl winner.

That’s why it’s hard to just say that Stefanski deserved to be higher, considering the names and achievements the other coaches have accomplished; though you could certainly make the argument to the contrary.