The Cleveland Browns knew that a 7-10-0 season wasn’t going to cut it. Head coach Kevin Stefanski was NFL Coach of the Year in his first season of 2020. That squad went 10-6-0 and broke a 19-year playoff drought, then defeated division foe Pittsburgh Steelers in their first playoff game and won and then had a shot at knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs.
After a stellar first season at the helm, Stefanski’s teams have gone 8-9-0 and then last year’s seven-win season. New coaching staffs are supposed to do the opposite: begin with minimal wins, and then build until they finally have a good team that can compete for the division title and make a playoff run.