The bye week is supposed to be a time for rest, reset, and strategic adjustments. For the 2-6 Cleveland Browns, it has been anything but. Instead of a calm, professional recalibration, the franchise is “spiraling out of control,” consumed by a level of dysfunction that is now boiling over into the public eye. The coach is seen as “overwhelmed,” the general manager is in hiding, and the disconnect between the two is threatening to burn the entire house down.

The frustration that has been simmering among fans all season has hit a breaking point. This is no longer about a tough schedule or a few bad bounces. This is about a leadership failure at the highest level, and the calls for accountability are deafening.

It all starts at the podium with Head Coach Kevin Stefanski. In his recent press conferences, Stefanski has presented the image of a man who is “all over the place,” “overwhelmed,” and “speaking out of both sides of his mouth.” In one breath, he insists he “still likes his wide receiver room”—a statement analysts and fans alike are calling “BS.” In the next, he fumbles the most critical question facing the team: the quarterback.

When pressed about a potential change, Stefanski first claimed the team is “still evaluating everything,” only to immediately pivot and declare that “Dylan Gabriel is still a starting quarterback.” When pressed further, he dismissed the topic, saying it “wasn’t his focus.” This isn’t the sound of a confident leader; it’s the sound of a man drowning in corporate doublespeak, terrified to make a decisive move.

But while Stefanski is fumbling his words, his boss, General Manager Andrew Berry, has chosen to say nothing at all. In a stunning break from a five-year tradition, Berry will not be speaking to the media during the bye week. This unprecedented silence from a regime that preaches “communication” and “transparency” is a deafening admission of guilt. It creates a vacuum, allowing speculation to run wild. The GM is hiding, and the fans, the players, and the media are left to conclude the worst.

This isn’t the first sign of a crack in the foundation. The long-held narrative that Stefanski and Berry are “in lock step” on all decisions has been exposed as a myth. The evidence? The shocking trade of veteran quarterback Joe Flacco. Stefanski himself volunteered in a press conference that he was “surprised” by the move. Reports later confirmed his surprise was justified: Berry received the call from Cincinnati, called Flacco directly, and left the decision up to the player. The head coach was never consulted.

This is not a partnership. This is a fractured regime where two men are “doing things or moving in ways that are kind of creating division.” After six years together, the experiment is a categorical failure. As the hosts of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show declared, they are “joined at the hip, and I think they both need to be fired.”

The dysfunction at the top is inevitably poisoning the locker room. The “BS” claim that the receiver room is fine is directly contradicted by the players’ actions. Star receiver Jerry Judy reportedly walked out last week without speaking to anyone after a game where he saw a paltry one target and had zero catches. This is a player who is not being used correctly—slashed from 35% of snaps in the slot last year to just 16% this year—and is being criminally under-targeted.

This is a failure of coaching, with Wide Receivers Coach Chad O’Shea somehow retaining his job despite years of non-production from his group. And it’s a failure of personnel. The hard truth is that Andrew Berry’s body of work is simply not good enough.

While this year’s draft class shows some promise, the core of the team—the few impact players Cleveland has—were acquisitions made by previous GMs Sashi Brown and John Dorsey. Berry’s tenure is littered with failed acquisitions like Elijah Moore, Troy Hill, John Johnson III, and a raft of third-round picks who never panned out.

This all leads to the single most “egregious” decision of their tenure, the one that perfectly encapsulates their flawed process: the 2025 NFL Draft.

With a clear need at quarterback, the Browns—with Stefanski’s input—reportedly had Dylan Gabriel as the #2 quarterback on their entire board. They selected him in the third round, a move former NFL quarterback Shaun King called “the most egregious pick in all of the 2025 draft.” King’s assessment was blunt: “There’s no way you can evaluate a quarterback position and have him rated as a higher prospect than Shador Sanders.”

The assessment that Gabriel’s college game—built on screens and quick throws to elite athletes—wouldn’t translate has proven painfully accurate. His performance has been “horrible,” marred by terrible decisions, including an interception thrown two yards behind his target and another deep shot into double coverage.

The Browns are now in a quarterback crisis of their own making, and the solution is sitting on their bench.

The calls to play Shedeur Sanders are no longer just hopeful murmurs; they are a desperate plea for a “boost in energy.” Sanders isn’t just another rookie. He has an “aura about him.” Teammates and fans “believe in him.” He possesses a “leadership quality” that could, even in a lost season, give the fans, the players, and the organization something to build on.

The team needs to see him play. With two first-round picks looming next year, the front office, whoever it may be, must know what they have in Sanders.

While some are willing to grant Gabriel one more game after the bye, the consensus is clear: a change must be made. The organization is at a crossroads. They can continue down this path of dysfunction, hiding from accountability and doubling down on a “terrible draft pick,” or they can make the change everyone is demanding.

The season is lost. The leadership has failed. The fans are “pissed.” The only question left is whether owner Jimmy Haslam will act before this spiraling franchise crashes completely.