Though they did not win their division this year, the Cleveland Browns could be the most accomplished one-and-done club in playoff history. At the NFL Honors, which took place Thursday night in Las Vegas, members of the Browns were recognized with four significant prizes.
In his four years as Cleveland’s coach, Kevin Stefanski, the coach of the Browns, has been named Coach of the Year twice. The winner of the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award was defensive end Myles Garrett.
Jim Schwartz, the assistant coach of the Browns, was named assistant coach of the year, while Joe Flacco, one of the five quarterbacks who started games for the team this season, was named comeback player of the year.In the AFC North, the 11-6 Browns were surpassed by the 13-4 Baltimore Ravens, but Cleveland’s happy ending was short-lived as the Browns lost to the Houston Texans 45-14 in the wildcard round.
But Cleveland’s victory Thursday night in Las Vegas portends well for the future, beginning with the presence of 41-year-old Stefanski, who appears to be becoming one of the league’s best coaches. In 2020, while Stefanski was still a rookie head coach for the Browns, he was again named Coach of the Year.
The hand Stefanski was given in 2023—when the Browns started games with five different quarterbacks due to injuries—has been dealt to few, if any, coaches. These quarterbacks were Deshaun Watson, Jeff Driskel, Flacco, P.J. Walker, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.Nick Chubb, perhaps the finest running back in the league, missed the most of the season with a season-ending knee injury sustained in Cleveland’s opening game.
An early-season injury to Watson, which set off a succession of quarterbacks who alternated between the huddle and the field for the remainder of the season, severely hampered the offense. But Stefanski was able to come up with enough potent offenses and original play calls to keep the Browns competitive for the postseason.
The 39-year-old Flacco’s arrival, who had spent the majority of the season sitting at home in New Jersey before the Browns ultimately phoned and signed him on November 20 following a workout, was the largest piece of that puzzle. In the course of saving their season, Flacco became a folk hero in Cleveland.
Following a defeat to the Rams in his debut game, Flacco guided the Browns to four straight victories in the late season, which sent them into the playoffs. Flacco started five games for the Browns during the regular season and went 4-1 with them, completing 60.3% of his throws for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Garrett had always wanted to be the defensive player of the year, and in 2023 he finally achieved his dream with an incredible season that included 14 sacks, 17 tackles for losses, four forced fumbles, and 30 quarterback hits. Given that Garrett was routinely held by opposition offensive linemen and double-teamed, those results are even more remarkable.
It comes as little surprise that in Jim Schwartz’s debut season as defensive coordinator, Garrett took home his first Defensive Player of the Year honor. The Browns defense, which for the duration of the season was at or near the top of the league in most defensive categories, was quickly marked by Schwartz.
In fact, the Browns’ defense saw them through the most of the season while the offense struggled due to a number of injuries to linemen and quarterbacks. This meant that for the majority of the season, the defense had to carry most of the heavy lifting, and thanks to NFL Assistant Coach of the Year Schwartz, that’s exactly what happened.
