CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Joe Flacco signing isn’t just about bringing back a fan favorite — it signals a fundamental shift in the Browns’ offensive identity. After straying from Kevin Stefanski’s traditional scheme to accommodate Deshaun Watson, the pendulum appears to be swinging back toward the offense that previously led Cleveland to playoff success.
“This is going to look more like a Kevin Stefanski offense,” Dan Labbe stated on the Orange and Brown Talk podcast. “Those five things that we could all sit here and name are part of a Kevin Stefanski offense … the pendulum has sort of swung back to what it was when he was coaching Baker, when he was coaching Joe Flacco, that this isn’t going to be the super spread out, Ken Dorsey style offense anymore.”
The philosophical shift isn’t surprising after watching the Browns’ offense sputter with Watson running an unfamiliar system. The contrast became even starker when Flacco stepped in during 2023, executing Stefanski’s traditional offense with precision — a wide-zone running game paired with play-action passing that maximized the talents of Amari Cooper and David Njoku.
“It really showed everybody, I think, that Kevin Stefanski has a type and Kevin Stefanski has an offense,” Mary Kay Cabot explained. “We could all sit here and rattle off the five traits of a Kevin Stefanski traditional offense right now, and it all came together, and we saw the opposite of that in the beginning of last season when they completely went away from it.”
The Flacco signing, combined with other offseason moves — hiring Tommy Rees as offensive coordinator, Stefanski resuming play-calling duties, and retaining the entire offensive line — points toward a recommitment to the offensive identity that brought Cleveland its only playoff victory in recent memory.
Ashley Bastock identified these core elements: “More of the run game and those sort of Bill Callahan wide zone blocking schemes for the alignment and play action drop backs.” This is the system where Flacco thrived, using his strong arm on play-action passes while operating from clean pockets created by the wide-zone scheme.
But returning to Stefanski’s roots doesn’t mean the Browns should become stagnant. There’s healthy concern about whether simply replicating past success is enough in today’s NFL.
“You’ve got to move forward and spin it forward in the NFL,” Cabot emphasized. “What are we seeing all over the league? We’re seeing dual threat and the spread and all those things that didn’t go well for them last year.”
The challenge for Stefanski and Rees will be finding the right balance — incorporating the foundational elements that have worked well while evolving to incorporate concepts that have driven success across the league.
Labbe expressed this tension perfectly: “The Browns are kind of moving back to move forward, which, if it leads to winning in the next couple years, I guess that’s a good thing. But I hope they don’t … get stuck in the mud here with just really trying to run this Stefanski style scheme.”
Whether this offensive reset represents a temporary regression or a strategic regrouping will depend on how the Browns handle the upcoming draft and the continued development of their offensive philosophy. But one thing is clear from the podcast discussion — Flacco’s return signals more than just a quarterback change; it represents a recommitment to the offensive identity that previously defined Stefanski’s success in Cleveland.
