The Cleveland Browns are stuck in the same loop from last season. They’re 1-5 again, same coach, same frustration. Everyone’s patience is running thin. And as Week 7 approaches, all eyes are on the man holding the detonator: Jimmy Haslam.

That reality hit hard on ESPN Cleveland when Browns insider Tony Grossi dropped what felt like a warning shot. When asked, “Where are things with Stefanski?” 

Grossi laid it out clearly, “My feeling is like just a loss will convince the owner that if he isn’t all ready that a complete overhaul has to happen, but it doesn’t mean he’ll press the button Monday morning.” 

Tony’s words captured what many around Cleveland already sense: Jimmy’s patience is nearing its limit. A loss against the Miami Dolphins could finally force his hand. But even then, he hinted that the owner’s moves are rarely impulsive, more methodical, almost calculating.

But the host, Aaron Goldhammer, couldn’t resist calling out ownership. “Let’s be real here. Jimmy is not the solution to the problem. Jimmy is the problem.” 

Cleveland’s ownership has cycled through head coaches faster than most NFL teams switch uniforms. Since Haslam bought the franchise in 2012, the Browns have had seven head coaches and five general managers. Few around the league believe that kind of turnover leads to stability.

Grossi didn’t disagree with the statement. In fact, he unpacked it further. “He’s complicit in the Flacco trade, he’s complicit in everything to do with the quarterbacks. They don’t just do things and then three days later call Jimmy and say, by the way, we traded Flacco…So he can’t hold this against Andrew Berry, yet he’s got to take some action and hold someone accountable. He can’t fire himself.”

That last sentence wrapped up the Browns’ dysfunction with painful precision. Haslam can’t fire himself, but someone’s head usually rolls when frustration hits this high. And right now, it’s Stefanski who might have to take all the heat. 

Kevin Stefanski responds to his firing calls

Like it or not, Kevin Stefanski has become the symbol of the Browns’ inconsistency. His regular-season record sits at 40-44, respectable by Cleveland standards. But his team’s slide since 2024 has turned those numbers hollow. 

The Browns are 1-5 this season, 4-19 since last year, matching the same win-loss mark that got Tennessee’s Brian Callahan fired this month. So Stefanski did what a coach under fire has to do: face the noise head-on. 

He broke his silence on the criticism swirling around his job security. “I grew up in Philly, long-time listener of WIP. I understand the heat on my job. I also know, in my chair, I can’t listen to that stuff,” Stefanski said.

For all the calls for change, Stefanski’s era has seen some rare highs in Browns history. Two 11-win seasons, two playoff appearances, and Coach of the Year awards. Yet that goodwill has evaporated fast in a league that rarely cares about past trophies.

As insider Mary Kay Cabot said on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast, this Week’s win could be the deciding factor for the changes coming in Cleveland.

“It stops the ‘Is Kevin on the hot seat?’ talk that is going on all over the place. 1-6 is going to put their feet back to the fire…A victory kind of quiets all that down,” Cabot said.

But another loss against Miami? That might turn Stefanski’s “hot seat” into a full-blown exit sign. In Cleveland, the clock is ticking. Jimmy Haslam might not pull the trigger Monday morning, but everyone knows the detonator’s already on the table.