CLEVELAND, Ohio – I don’t know how Kevin Stefanski watches this every week.
I’m talking about the Browns’ special teams – HIS special teams.
“I’m responsible for all of it,” said the Browns head coach. “I’m involved in all of it. We’ll get it coached up.”
Stefanski was talking about a massive special teams failure … again. This time, after Sunday’s 26-8 loss to San Francisco.
There was Skyy Moore’s 66-yard punt return. That put the ball on the Cleveland 16-yard line, setting up a 49ers TD.
I watched Moore running right through the Browns coverage unit and I wanted to scream, “They should be embarrassed!”
There is no screaming – or cheering – in the press box. But there’s a lot of moaning after debacles like that.
Moore’s run was the THIRD punt return of at least 60 yards allowed by the Browns this season. That’s three in 12 games.
Want to turn that frown upside down? This one didn’t go for a touchdown. The other two did: 74 yards (the Jets) and 65 yards (the Lions).
The Browns also have allowed a 99-yard kickoff TD return.
In the last two seasons, the Browns have coughed up five touchdowns on punt or kickoff returns – the most in the NFL.
It’s beyond embarrassing
The Browns had two other special teams disasters Sunday.
Rookie Gage Larvadain muffed a punt that San Francisco recovered on the Cleveland 18-yard line. That led to a 49ers TD.
Larvadain also fumbled another punt, which the Browns recovered.
The strangest special teams play of the game was when Cleveland’s Malachi Corley caught a kickoff headed out of bounds on the 5-yard line. He was tip-toeing the sidelines as he made the catch.
If Corley had simply let the ball land out of bounds (as it was destined to do), the Browns would have had the ball on their own 40-yard line. That’s the rule and Corley should have known it.
Instead, he caught the ball … stepped out of bounds and the Browns had the ball on their own 5-yard line.
Stefanski says things like, “We’ll get that fixed.” He takes responsibility, but nothing changes.
The Bubba Ventrone Era
In 2023, the Browns decided to move on from special teams coach Mike Priefer. They were so impressed with Bubba Ventrone, they gave him the title of Assistant Head Coach to leave the Colts as special teams coordinator and take the same job with the Browns.
The Browns were convinced Ventrone would raise their special teams to a higher level. He had been a terrific special teams player for New England and the Browns.
But since he came here, the Browns special teams have gone from mediocre to self-destructive.
After the Browns gave up TDs on a punt and kickoff in their 27-20 loss to the Jets on Nov. 9, Stefanski said this about Ventrone:
“I have a ton of faith in Bubba. I have a ton of faith in our special teams. We have to be better – that’s the case. There are ways that we can try to be better. We’ll continue to coach our guys hard. We’ll continue to give them the techniques to use. But I trust our guys, I trust that we’ll get back to work.”
None of this is to question the effort of Ventrone or the other coaches who work with special teams. But the NFL is a bottom-line business, and the Browns special teams are near the bottom in ranking in several important areas.
It’s incomprehensible that Ventrone would come back in 2026, even if Stefanski remains as head coach. I wondered if someone else on the staff right now should have a chance to take over the unit.
Former John Carroll defensive coordinator Kyle Hoke joined the Browns as assistant special teams coach in 2025. Hoke had been a safeties coach for several Division I college teams. Is he an option? Is there someone else on the staff?
The best Browns special teams coach that I observed was Brad Seely. He is 69 and retired after the 2020 season. But I would bring him in as a consultant. Or at least send him some videos. Ventrone played for Seely in Cleveland and New England for four seasons.
Are the Browns going to endure this same ineptitude on special teams for the rest of the season without trying something (or someone) else?
That’s a question the front office should ask Stefanski.