CLEVELAND, Ohio — For decades, the Cleveland Browns organization was synonymous with dysfunction. Constant coaching changes, front office power struggles, and questionable draft decisions created a revolving door of leadership that hampered any chance at sustained success. But under the current regime led by head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, there’s a palpable sense that things have fundamentally changed.
“Hey, Mary Kay, in my opinion, as a lifelong Browns fan, this front office coaching staff appears to be the most functional in many, many years,” noted one listener during the latest Orange and Brown Talk podcast. The question resonated with Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot, who offered a ringing endorsement of the current leadership.
“Well, I do think that they’re doing a great job. I do think they’re extremely functional, and I do think they work very, very well together,” Cabot responded. “And it really is the most stable, consistent and sane regime that I’ve covered.”
That’s significant praise from Cabot, who has witnessed countless iterations of Browns leadership over her distinguished career covering the team. The “sane” descriptor particularly stands out — indicating a refreshing departure from the chaotic decision-making processes that previously plagued the organization.
What makes this regime different? For starters, there’s genuine alignment between the coaching staff and front office — a quality often missing in previous eras. The Stefanski-Berry partnership demonstrates a unified vision and collaborative approach to roster building that has resulted in methodical, long-term decisions rather than desperate swings.
“They like the alignment that they have in the building. They like the sanity that they have in the building,” Cabot explained. “Because there have been times in the not too distant past where it was crazy inside the building, and they don’t want that anymore. They want sanity and they want consistency and they want professionalism.”
This stability has created a foundation that would have been difficult to imagine during the tumultuous years of constant turnover. When analyzing Stefanski specifically, podcast host Dan Labbe noted: “He’s not so bad that it’s just like, get him out of here and bring in the first guy you can find off the street.”
That’s a significant threshold the Browns have crossed — having leadership that clearly warrants continuation rather than replacement. The bar is no longer simply “better than terrible” — it’s now about finding someone demonstrably better than a proven, established coach.
However, stability alone doesn’t guarantee championships. The organization still faces its most significant challenge: finding a franchise quarterback who can compete with the elite signal-callers dominating today’s NFL.
“That has to translate into victories, and it’s got to translate into a starting quarterback that can get you to the promised land,” Cabot emphasized. “I think they’ve got time on their side. I don’t think anything that happens this year necessarily is going to cause Jimmy Haslam to pull the plug on anything. But they’ve got to get the quarterback right next year.”
This quarterback conundrum represents the true test of the Stefanski-Berry regime. While they’ve established organizational competence, the ultimate measure of success will be converting that stability into consistent winning seasons and playoff appearances.
For Browns fans accustomed to perpetual rebuilds, the current stability represents a welcome change. But as the team navigates another transitional season at quarterback, the patience of ownership and fans will be tested. Will this “sane regime” finally solve the quarterback puzzle that has plagued the franchise for decades? For more insights on the Browns’ front office stability and quarterback plans, check out the full Orange and Brown Talk podcast episode.
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Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Orange and Brown Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.