Heading into the 2023 season, there is a lot of pressure on the Cleveland Browns to succeed. They made a big splash last offseason acquiring Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans and they knew that things could be rocky in the early going.

After serving an 11-game suspension, which was on top of sitting out the 2021 season, Watson was unsurprisingly rusty when he was back on the field. The offense sputtered with him at the helm as he didn’t have chemistry and cohesion with his teammates.

It led to the Browns finishing the season 7-10 overall, 3-3 with Watson. While many people gave Cleveland a pass for last season, that will not exist in 2023. It is time for them to produce on the field or some changes will be made.

Watson is motivated to prove he is still among the best quarterbacks in the league. On top of that, head coach Kevin Stefanski needs to start winning some games or he could find himself on the unemployment line in the offseason.

Per NFL insider Matt Lombardo of FanBuzz, Stefanski is someone that should be on the hot seat according to an NFC coach. “Kevin Stefanski would be the first name on my list. The Browns have had a loaded roster the last several seasons and they just don’t win,” the NFC coach said.

In his first season as head coach, Stefanski led the team to an 11-5 record and Wild Card spot in the playoffs. They defeated their hated rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, during Wild Card Weekend, which was their first playoff win since the 1994 season.

In the two seasons since Stefanski has overseen two losing campaigns. The Browns went 8-9 in 2021 and 7-10 in 2022. Another season like that and it would be hard for management to justify retaining him for a fifth season.

Stefanski was the offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings before getting the Browns’ head coaching job. Other than their running game, that unit has been inconsistent in his three seasons. But, it is the defense that needs to truly get on track if Cleveland wants to make any noise in 2023.