Late Saturday evening, the Falcons finalized a deal to bring former Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski to Atlanta. Stefanski was one of the top names made available this offseason and high on the Falcons’ wish list.
The man who brought Clevaland its first playoff win since 1994 is now tasked with bringing the Falcons back to the postseason for the first time since 2017. Stefanski has an offensive background and should be able to do good things with Bijan Robinson, Drake London and the rest of Atlanta’s talented offense.
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NFL analyst Ben Solak gave the hiring of Stefanski a B+ grade in a new feature for ESPN. This is bolstered by the fact that the players the Falcons have could potentially be a better fitted roster for Stefanski than the ones he was given in Cleveland.
ESPN gives Falcons B+ grade for hiring Stefanski
«The tools in the toolbox were never great with the Browns, and the Falcons are betting that Stefanski’s reputation as a strong offensive mind will bear more fruit in Atlanta, where Drake London, Robinson and (potentially) Kyle Pitts Sr. represent the best offensive group Stefanski has ever worked with,» wrote Solak.
However, as noted by Solak, the hiring isn’t a A or higher because of the fact that Stefanski was just fired from Cleveland after going 3-14 in 2024 and 5-12 in 2025. Though, as things are in the NFL, situations matter the most and Stefanski indeed has a better situation in Atlanta with the stability of the ownership than he had in Cleveland.
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«Hiring head coaches immediately after they were let go elsewhere can be a risky option — at times, those coaches are just burned out — but I’d bet Stefanski has plenty to prove given how things unfolded in Cleveland.»
The Falcons will look to end their eight-year playoff drought in 2026, and considering Atlanta just fired Raheem Morris after back-to-back 8-9 seasons, the pressure is on Stefanski to perform.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons hire Kevin Stefanski: ESPN grades Atlanta’s new coach
