Kevin Stefanski’s tenure as head coach of the Cleveland Browns has come to an end, and he will now take the reins in Atlanta with the Falcons. The two-time Coach of the Year in the Dawg Pound struggled in his final seasons, even with plenty of talent in the quarterback room this past year, including Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel.
Despite this, Stefanski holds a special fondness for these two players, who saw playing time during their rookie season. During a recent appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, the head coach reflected on his time with Sanders and Gabriel.
“Those two young players, I loved those guys. I loved coaching them. I loved their development. As a coach, why we do this is you take a player and you try to get a little more out of them. You try to develop them. I want to get this guy better at that,” Stefanski said.
“Both those guys you can point to their rookie seasons and say man they got better in these areas. Ultimately, we want to continue to improve those guys and both of them will. I think very highly of those two young men.”
A new era in Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns have officially entered a new era by hiring Todd Monken as their head coach, a move that signals a major shift toward an aggressive, pass-heavy offense. Monken, who previously led high-powered units in Georgia and Baltimore, now faces the critical task of stabilizing a quarterback room that has seen constant turnover.
While Shedeur Sanders finished the 2025 season as the starter—recording 1,400 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions across 8 games—his status as QB1 for 2026 remains a subject of intense debate. Although Monken shared a viral moment with Sanders upon his arrival, admitting he had “tried to draft him” while with the Ravens, the front office has yet to officially commit.
With a 68.1 passer rating in his rookie campaign, Sanders will likely have to compete in training camp against potential veteran additions or high-draft picks to prove he is the long-term answer for Monken’s system.