During the 13th annual NFL Honors on Thursday, the league made an announcement that would make any Cleveland Browns fan smile. For the second time in four seasons, head coach Kevin Stefanski has been named AP Coach of the Year.
.@Browns HC Kevin Stefanski is your 2023 Coach of the Year! @verizon | #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/D5Cd40EcBQ
â NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2024
Stefanski last won the award during the 2020 season, where he led the Browns to an 11-5 record. This past year, the 41-year-old coach steered the team to another winning season, going 11-6 overall while garnering a postseason appearance and a second-place finish in the AFC North.
Other finalists for Coach of the Year included Houston Texans' DeMeco Ryans, Baltimore Ravens' John Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers' Kyle Shanahan, and Detroit Lions' Dan Campbell. Stefanski and Ryans were tied at 165 votes apiece, but the former managed to win the award with more first-place votes (21 for Stefanski, 20 for Ryans).
What could have been the deciding factor for Stefanski's amount of votes was how the Browns managed to clinch the playoffs despite an injury-laden roster. Throughout the season, the Browns started a total of five different quarterbacks ever since Deshaun Watson went down in November with a season-ending shoulder injury. Aside from Watson, many other key players got hurt as well, including running back Nick Chubb whose year was cut short in Week 2.
Still, the team managed to put up a fight, winning their final four regular season games with Joe Flacco as the quarterback. Despite a playoff elimination at the hands of the Houston Texans, Kevin Stefanski and the short-handed Browns managed to show everyone what the definition of ânext man upâ really means.
Follow Us
Subscribe