As the Browns head into the 2026 offseason, they are in a period of transition.
After finishing the 2025 season with a 5-12 record, on Jan. 5 the Browns announced they relieved Kevin Stefanski of his duties as head coach. Now, as Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry and the Browns embark on their search for a new head coach, Berry said they are also focused on building up their offense as part of this transition.
"(It) is obviously a tough day for the organization. It's a tough day for me, personally," Berry said on Jan. 5. "Largely because of the relationship, both professional and personal, built with Kevin (Stefanski) over the past six years. I think many of you have heard me say that Kevin's like family. There really isn't a better person. He's the best of us. We all owe him a debt of gratitude and appreciation for a level of success that he brought the organization that really hadn't been achieved since 2002 and that's something that we'll always remember.
"In terms of next steps, our focus is on identifying and finding the leader and the partner to bring along this young team as well as the young players that we're going to add in the next several months," Berry later added. "So, that work is going to be deliberate. It's going to be immediate."
When the Browns entered the 2025 season, Berry said they knew the state of the roster and how it featured a number of young and rookie players at multiple positions. They had held a four-man quarterback competition during training camp to evaluate their quarterback room and find their starter before transitioning to the rookie quarterbacks during the season.
He noted how those factors were a part of their overall evaluation of where the Browns stood at the end of 2025.
"Coming into this season, we were realistic that we were a team and a roster in transition," Berry said. "And ultimately this decision is born from the fact that we ultimately felt like we did not see enough progress in areas that were controllable – independent of certain game outcomes. Everything that we do is with the idea of bringing a perennial winner to Cleveland and this decision falls in that bucket as well. There are many tough decisions that we have made that we'll have to continue to make in order to fulfill that promise."
Berry will lead the search for a new head coach but explained he will also use the expertise across football operations in the hiring process. Managing and Principal Partner Jimmy Haslam added other key members of the organization and ownership will be involved in the process of finding a new head coach.
As the Browns begin their search for a new head coach, Berry said they will stay open-minded on the idea of previous head coaching experience being an important factor. He added their responsibility is to look "far and wide," and are entering the process with no preconceived notions of what their next head coach should look like. However, there are specific skill sets in which Berry does look for in a head coach, given where the Browns are in their build as a team.
"It's not just leadership by position, but I'd say leadership more globally," Berry said. "Because when you hire a head coach, it's someone who has to be able to lead your players, lead your staff, lead the organization, lead through hardship and lead through crisis. And NFL years, they're like dog years. They're really difficult seasons. And that'll be at the forefront because it's first and foremost a leadership position. And then when I say partnership, head coach, GM relationship is a lot like a marriage. And you have to work side by side and fight back-to-back. And I think that's really, really important because you have to be aligned in terms of how you're positioning the team."
While the short-term focus is on the coaching search, there are other areas the Browns will home in on during the offseason as Berry acknowledged the need to address specific offensive concerns.
They will continue evaluating the quarterback position while also analyzing the development of their two rookie quarterbacks in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Berry said solidifying the quarterback position is a top priority because of how important the position is to sustainable success. They will consider all of their options with internal options, external veteran options or the draft.
Berry said the Browns are also planning to invest significant resources into the offense this offseason.
"I think the reality of it is a year ago, when we decided to make the pivot that we did, you also realize that you're not going to be able to accomplish everything at once for the roster," Berry said. "The offensive line, that's a position group that I do imagine will have a fair amount of turnover as we go into 2026. But we also do feel like it was important this year, and quite honestly going into next year, to give young players snaps if we're ultimately going to build the core and foundation that we need to win perennially."
The Browns head into the 2026 offseason with goals in mind to improve their roster and find a head coach to help lead the organization on the path towards winning. Berry believes with the defensive players under contract, young core offensive players, cap room available at the beginning of the league year, as well as the 10 draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Browns are poised to take steps forward as a team.
Their first marker on that path comes in hiring a new head coach.
"What we're going to do, we're going to ensure that we have a process that is well defined, in terms of what we're looking for and what the role will be specific to our organization," Berry said. "And we'll make the best hire we can. I'm confident we'll find a good coach. […] We've got to support that individual to make sure that they can have success as they lead us."
