Browns Training Camp: Kevin Stefanski’s Future, and Why This Year Will Be Different for Deshaun Watson

Cleveland’s coach and franchise quarterback have their hands full in what is arguably the NFL’s best division.

Kevin Stefanski dodged the question, but he knows the truth.

In Cleveland, there is a dangerous combination brewing for their coach: expectations and prior failure.

After winning Coach of the Year in 2020 by taking the Browns to the playoffs and delivering their first postseason win since 1994, Stefanski has dealt with setbacks in each of the past two years. While some of it isn’t his fault—injuries and suspensions to the quarterback position—the NFL doesn’t want excuses. It wants results.

Entering 2023, Cleveland has a good roster. It has a quarterback making $230 million with no outs in the remaining four years of his deal. If this season doesn’t go well, Stefanski could well be changing addresses. Still, the 41-year-old isn’t worried about any of it—at least not openly.

After winning Coach of the Year in 2020 by taking the Browns to the playoffs and delivering their first postseason win since 1994, Stefanski has dealt with setbacks in each of the past two years :: Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports

“We really are forward-thinking, forward-looking, if you will,” Stefanski told Sports Illustrated before Monday’s practice in Berea, Ohio. We’re really focused on what we have in front of us. I can tell you every coach, every player, we feel pressure you walk into any building, every day. We want to be great; we want to win games. That’s really where the focus is for us.”

All told, Stefanski has a 26–24 record with the Browns through three seasons. He’s the only coach with a winning record since the franchise was reintroduced in 1999, and just the second to be above .500 since ’70, along with Marty Schottenheimer.

Still, for Stefanski and Cleveland, it’s time to get going.

“That’s the standard, winning games,” second-year corner Martin Emerson Jr. says. “It’s a team sport, so we’re going to need everybody. Having our star quarterback, obviously that’s a blessing to have him back in the building, grinding every day during training camp. He’s going to be here Week 1, so looking forward to that. We all come here just to win, and we want the Super Bowl. That’s the end goal.”

It all starts in the AFC North, arguably the league’s best division. Each of the four teams has a good case to be in the playoffs, with the Bengals trying to return for a third consecutive AFC championship game appearance.

As for the Browns, it all begins in Berea, where on Monday the team practiced hard for 90 minutes through a driving rainstorm.

Before practice began, Stefanski was asked whether the team would move inside. He responded by saying it’s something the team needs to get used to.

The same can be said for the pressure to win in Cleveland this year. Because whether Stefanski wants to acknowledge it, plenty is on the line this fall.

Best thing I saw: a perfectly executed play from all aspects.

Sometimes it’s not the big bomb or the rousing hit. Sometimes it’s all facets of a team working together.

I really enjoyed one of the first plays in Cleveland’s opening team period. Off the snap, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah blitzed with perfect timing, slicing through the left side of the line. An instant before he was about to sack Deshaun Watson (quarterbacks are not allowed to be hit during practice), Nick Chubb stepped up and delivered a block. Watson then slid calmly to his left and fired a strike to Elijah Moore off a comeback route.

There was nothing fancy about the play, but all involved should have been happy. The defense had a good blitz and tight coverage. The offense picked up the blitz, and Watson made a terrific throw.

It’s the kind of execution that wins games come the fall.

Best thing I heard: Stefanski on why this year will be different for Watson.

“One more year in our system, obviously a full offseason, a full training camp where we know he’s playing in Game 1. I think that’s part of it where everything we do in camp is getting him ready. And, ultimately, it’s his comfort level in our system that’s most important.”

With an excellent offensive line, top-notch running game, quality receivers and an offensive-minded coach, Watson has no reason not to post a big year :: Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports

Stefanski touches on the right word: comfort. After sitting throughout 2021 in Houston, Watson was traded to the Browns the following offseason before signing a fully guaranteed $230 million deal. From there, he was suspended 11 games by the NFL, and once Watson returned, it was clear he wasn’t the same player.

The Browns are betting those issues largely stemmed from being rusty and unsettled, both things that won’t be a problem in 2023. Surrounded by an excellent offensive line, top-notch running game, quality receivers and an offensive-minded coach, Watson has no reason not to post a big year.

Rookie who impressed: Cedric Tillman, WR.

At 6'3" and 215 pounds, Tillman has the frame to be a problem in a multitude of ways for opposing defenses. The 23-year-rookie from Tennessee showed a few of them in Monday’s practice, doing a nice job of winning on routes at the line before utilizing his size to box out smaller corners while also playing physical through downfield contact.

“He’s young, he’s still learning, but he’s going to be a really good player for us in the future,” Emerson says.

Tillman mostly ran with the reserves in team periods but did see a few snaps in the red zone with the starters. At Tennessee, Tillman was a five-year player who had his best campaign as a redshirt junior, catching 64 passes for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Although he’ll have a hard time getting on the field when Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Moore are all healthy, Tillman is an intriguing fit to watch for a team that’ll throw the ball more than in past years.

Veteran who impressed: Nick Chubb, RB.

Chubb is an easy choice, but he’s also the right one.

On a soggy afternoon, the All-Pro running back seemed to be running on a dry field. His cuts were precise and explosive, with both traits being exemplified on a play toward the end of practice.

In a team period, Chubb took a handoff heading right before he made a wicked jump cut, drawing gasps from the crowd. He then planted and exploded through the left side of the line, going untouched for a would-be touchdown before sliding down inside the 5-yard line for a little fun.

Even with Watson playing a full season and the addition of Moore and Tillman, Chubb remains the featured star in Cleveland’s attack after posting 1,525 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns a year ago.

Song of the day: “Diamonds” by YoungBoy.

For starters, great song. But the title, while purely coincidental, also speaks to a greater meaning here in Cleveland.

The Browns have won four NFL titles, but none since 1964. They’ve famously not been to the Super Bowl. If this group, and this coach, are going to reach that lofty goal in the near future—and earn some diamonds—it starts with reaching the playoffs for the first time in three years.