Key Veteran Takes Bold Stance On Cleveland Browns Head Coach

After a disastrous season, Browns veteran Joel Bitonio shared his thoughts on the state of the organization under head coach Kevin Stefanski before an offseason filled with questions

Dec 8, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns guards Germain Ifedi (65) and Joel Bitonio (75) and Wyatt Teller (77) take the field to play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

As a truly disastrous 2024 Cleveland Browns season comes to a close on Saturday, it remains one of the league's biggest mysteries how a Browns team a year removed from a trip to the playoffs and with so much talent fell woefully short of its lofty aspirations.

That's certainly at the forefront of veteran guard Joel Bitonio's mind. Following last Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins, the 11-year veteran wasn't coy about the Browns underperforming this season, particularly given the state of what he believes is still a talented roster.

For that same reason, Bitonio explained on the first day of the new year that he doesn't think the team is far away from contending again.

"I think, obviously we had injuries this year, but I think the rosters are similar," said Bitonio. I know they're going to have to rebuild some aspects of the roster, but I don' think it's far."

There's another reason the 33-year-old feels that things aren't as bleak as they seem in Berea.

"I think coach Stefanski is a good coach," he emphasized. "I think we're going to have a good system in place. It comes down to executing, it comes down to doing your 1/11, but I don't think we're that far off from being a contender."

That type of support for head coach Kevin Stefanski is a major reason why team owner Jimmy Haslam has expressed and unwavering desire to retain Stefanski as the organization's head man moving forward, even after a forgettable season. Perhaps he's onto something.

There may be no bigger indictment of a coach then a team that quits during a bad season. That hasn't happened with the Browns though, despite sitting at 3-13 entering the last week of the regular season. Stefanski still has his player's attention and respect. His culture is built to last, and Bitonio sees it every day.

"It's very hard when you're losing a lot of games, but I think the standard of what he's created is still there," said Bitonio. "And the losing's unacceptable. He's talked about that, we can't get into this being the everyday norm. This is not what we want it to be. But when you're preaching something and you go 3-13, it's obviously going to be hard to keep that going."

Bitonio can't speak for everyone, but as the longest tenured member of the team, he certainly has a pulse on the locker room.

"I think the locker room has faith in Coach Stefanski," he said. "I don't think anybody's like, oh man, we would've done this a little different with Coach. We understand his message and I think more than anything, we want to live up to it for him. So I think the culture is still there."

ICYMI: With some help from the Giants and the Jags, the Browns are now in line for a top 3 pick in next spring's draft https://t.co/4CJ7IKxQhd

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Once the season concludes on Saturday, Bitonio will contemplate his own future. After 11 seasons, retirement is very much on the table. The decision will largely be based on personal factors, most notably how he feels physically.

Conversations with his family will play a major role in his decision. So too will conversations with Stefanski during the player's annual exit interviews. If Stefanski can help paint a picture of a team that plans on staying competitive in 2025, it would go a long way in Bitonio potentially returning.

"That'd be part of it," admitted Bitonio. "It's all part of it ... You want to hear the plans, you want to hear what's going on, you want to know how you feel. So it's all just part of the big question."