One of the top head coaching firings this offseason was the Cleveland Browns’ move on from Kevin Stefanski. Shortly after the Browns relieved him of his duties on Jan. 5, 2026, the former Browns head coach landed on his feet with the Atlanta Falcons, who named him head coach on Jan. 17, 2026. Now, he is hoping to get off to a fast start in the NFC South.
Stefanski will again be dealing with a quarterback situation on his team. Just last season, he was under heavy scrutiny with the Browns.
Jarvis Landry Questions Kevin Stefanski’s Leadership After Browns Exit
Last season was not a good one for the Browns, as the team finished 5-12. However, there were some positive moments. Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders was able to come in and show some decent plays for a team that was going through a quarterback controversy all season.
It was a revolving door at quarterback, and Sanders took over as the starter in the second half of the season. The process was all over the place. When Sanders took over, it was far from perfect, but it was better than what the Browns had been dealing with previously.
This led to Stefanski being criticized all season, and even after he left, the criticism has not stopped. On the “4th and South” podcast with Jarvis Landry and Leonard Fournette, the two spoke on Stefanski.
When Fournette discussed the events of last season involving Stefanski and Sanders, he said he would never want to play for a coach like that. With Landry previously playing for Stefanski in the Browns, he gave his opinion on his former coach:
“He was cool to be around. It just almost felt like, as much as he knew what he was doing, he really maybe didn’t. Sometimes, some of these coaches get put in a position too soon.
“They have success as a position coach, and then they get thrown into this head coaching role where you expect most of these coaches to be more personable, more relatable with their players, and in most cases, it just doesn’t work out that way…I don’t know if he will be a great coach in the league.”
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One of the most important aspects of coaching in the NFL is building a connection with the players, and from last season’s events in the Browns, that was clearly missing. Landry went on to say that there was a connection when the Browns were winning during his time there, but that connection disappeared.
If Stefanski wants to succeed in Atlanta, or even be a great coach in the NFL, which Landry questions, he will need to work on that area of his coaching. With a quarterback competition expected, all eyes will be on what the Falcons do, just like the Browns last year.
