Needed Change at Head Coach

Kevin Stefanski isn’t going to go down as the ‘sexiest head coaching hire of 2020,’ not by a long shot. He’s not from any of the hot ticket coaching trees like McVay or Shanahan, but rather, has been a part of the Minnesota Vikings coaching staff since 2006, where he slowly climbed his way up the ladder on his way to modest, but consistent and proven success.

Basically, he’s the antithesis of what Freddie Kitchens was as the Browns’ head coach last year. And Cleveland should be celebrating bringing Stefanski in to run the team for that fact alone.

But this head-coaching hire is a win for reasons beyond replacing Kitchens. Where Kitchens play-calling was questionable, and his offensive scheme wasn’t a fit for the Browns’ personnel, Stefanski will be the exact opposite.

In Stefanski’s 2019 season as the Vikings offensive coordinator, Minnesota ranked fourth in the league in rushing attempts, and sixth in rushing yards. All of that rushing lead to open up the play-action passing game, where Kirk Cousins shined in 2019 — and Baker Mayfield excelled in 2018.

Stefanski runs an offense that isn’t the most explosive in the league, but perfect for the players on Cleveland’s roster. They have an elite, young running back in Nick Chubb who has proven he can carry a heavy load on offense after finishing third in rushing attempts and second in rushing yards last year. And more importantly, they have a young quarterback who thrived off play-action in his rookie year, and will now be seeing more of it than he has in his entire career.