Fans continue to convince themselves that a better day is coming. Even if history continues to show that is not true.
The Cleveland Browns will close out the 2025 regular season this weekend and then will enter another offseason dominated by change.
Change is inevitable in the NFL, of course, as players retire, free agents leave and arrive, coaches move on, sometimes by their own choice, sometimes not, and a new crop of rookies come to town full of promise.
The mob is now once again screaming for change once the curtain falls on the season – change at head coach, change at general manager, change at the quarterback position. (Actually, that last one may not be happening, no matter how much it should.) And, why, oh why, won’t they change the owner?
But, as it relates to the Browns, like just about everything the franchise touches, change has not always worked out the way that team officials and fans believed it would.
Change the Owner
Almost from the moment Randy Lerner took over as owner from his late father, fans were demanding that he sell the team. Lerner had the audacity to have a strong philanthropic side, was “distracted” by his ownership of Aston Villa in the Premier League, and “did not care” about winning.
In the fall of 2012, salvation was found when Jimmy and Dee Haslam closed on the purchase of the Browns from Lerner. A savvy businessman who knew what it took to win after spending time as a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Haslam was everything that Lerner was not, and on-field glory would soon follow.
The signs that things were not going to improve anytime soon came quickly, with the announcement that Joe Banner was coming in as CEO and, for reasons no one to this day understands, Michael Lombardi was back for a second tour of duty as general manager.
It has been mostly downhill from there:
- An overall record of 77-150-1.
- Nine seasons with double-digit losses.
- The second 0-16 season in NFL history.
- The worst coaching hire in NFL history.
Ownership has been the one constant in 2012, but with the Browns among the world’s most valuable franchises and a new stadium on the way in 2029, ownership is the one thing that will not change for a long time.
Change the GM
Fans were ready to throw a parade when the Browns replaced Sashi Brown with John Dorsey near the end of the 2017 season. Out was Brown and his “voodoo” analytics, never mind that NFL teams have run on analytics for decades; in was “football guy” Dorsey to restore an old-school grit to the modern NFL.
Not everything went as expected, however, as Dorsey:
- Hired Freddie Kitchens as head coach
- Made the unnecessary trade for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
- Ignored off-field concerns about players like Antonio Callaway, Jermaine Whitehead, Desmond Harrison, and Damarious Randall
- Burned through $100 million in cap space with nothing to show for it.
Even though he was celebrated for his football acumen, Dorsey had as many misses – Chad Thomas, Callaway, Damion Ratley, Simeon Thomas, Greedy Williams, Sheldrick Redwine, Drew Forbes – as hits when it came to acquiring players.
Or, to put it another way, he was just like every other general manager, even if he was a noted “fooball guy.”
Change the Head Coach
This is Cleveland, so the thought of a new quarterback is always top of mind for fans. But coming in a close second is the promise of a new head coach.
There have certainly been plenty of opportunities over the years, as the Browns have gone through nine full-time head coaches – from Chris Davis to Freddie Kitchens – and a pair of interim coaches – Terry Robiskie and Gregg Williams – before landing on current head coach Kevin Stefanski in 2020.
Stefanski hit the 100-game mark this past weekend, which makes him just the third head coach in franchise history to make it that far with the team. A two-time NFL Coach of the Year, Stefanski is fourth all-time in wins for the franchise and has led the Browns to the playoffs twice in his six seasons.
Has everything been perfect? Of course not. The past two seasons have pulled down Stefanski’s winning percentage as the Browns have dealt with the aftermath of the trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson. And familiarity can breed contempt, even if people focus on things that don’t matter, like how a head coach responds to the same tired questions during a weekly press conference.
But even if it may be a low bar, Stefanski has been the franchise’s best head coach since Marty Schottenheimer, and despite everything that has gone on in the past two seasons, the team still plays hard for him, which has not always been the case for the head coaches that preceded him.
Change the QB
No team in the NFL loves changing quarterbacks more than the Browns, as the franchise has gone through 42 starters starting with Ty Detmer in 1999 through the current starter in Shedeur Sanders.
First-round draft picks, low-round draft picks, veteran bridge quarterbacks, retreads, quarterbacks signed because there are literally no healthy options on the roster, the Browns have gone through every possible scenario over the years.
But in an ironic twist, this offseason is the one time the Browns should make a change at the position, but may not be in a position to do so as they no longer have a chance at the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The team could conceivably still make a move to land one of the presumptive top two options, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore, but the cost might be too prohibitive for a team still digging out from the loss of three first-round picks thanks to the Watson trade.
That may force the Browns to roll for another season with the duo of Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, statistically two of the worst rookie quarterbacks since 2000. And if there is one universal truth about the NFL, which the Browns have confirmed more times than seems possible, it is that no team is winning without a top quarterback running the offense.
Is Change Really the Answer?
Almost from the moment rookie kicker Andre Szmyt’s missed field goal contributed to the Browns losing in Week 1, people have been screaming for change within the organization.
Six years have been enough of the Andrew Berry/Kevin Stefanski pairing. The quarterback situation is a complete mess, one made worse by the trade for Watson and the decisions made in the 2025 NFL Draft. And do not get anyone started about ownership!
The Browns will enter the offseason next week facing numerous questions about key parts of the roster, coaching staff, and front office. And no matter what they do, there will be people angry about the direction of the team.
A franchise can’t be paralyzed by a fear of not acting to improve, but given what this franchise has done for the past 25 years, can anyone say that changing things will result in a better tomorrow?
Category: General Sports
