Kevin Stefanski Left the Browns, Only to Find a QB Situation Just As Ugly

Kevin Stefanski is coaching a new team, but the most glaring problem looks all too familiar.

After Stefanski was fired last January following six years as the Browns’ coach, he was quickly hired to become the Falcons’ new head coach. Becoming Atlanta’s coach was supposed to offer a fresh start for Stefanski but unfortunately he has found himself in a similar predicament at the quarterback position.

Like the Browns, the Falcons have quarterback issues. Of course, no team—not even the Jets—can compare to the quarterback purgatory the Browns have experienced since returning to the NFL in 1999. The Falcons, however, have endured a quarterback purgatory of their own since Matt Ryan’s departure in 2022.

For three consecutive years from 2021 to ‘23, the Falcons had a top-10 pick in the draft. Even so, they were not in position to take a top quarterback prospect and instead took tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson. All three picks have been hits, but the team has yet to find the right guy to get them the ball and maximize their skill-sets.

In 2022, the Falcons started Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder, who combined to go 7–9. The following season, they started Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, who finished 7–10. Looking to solve their quarterback situation once and for all, the Falcons acquired not just one, but two quarterback options in 2024. During free agency, they signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract. Over a month later, they drafted Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick.

The decision to draft Penix after signing Cousins to a long-term contract was controversial at the time. Unsurprisingly, it hasn’t paid off. Less than two years after bringing in Cousins, the Falcons benched and later released him. Penix, meanwhile, has yet to prove he’s the team’s long-term franchise quarterback after suffering a torn ACL midway through his second season.

Stefanski knew he was becoming a coach of a team with questions at the quarterback position. Even this though, was unpredictable. Through two games, the Falcons’ quarterback issues appear to have hit a breaking point.

With Penix not ready for the start of the season and Tua Tagovailoa sustaining a back injury in the days leading up to the regular season, the Falcons have resorted to starting third-stringer Cooper Rush.

Through two games, Rush has completed 22-of-39 passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and three picks. On Sunday, he threw two picks against the Panthers before he was benched for fourth-string quarterback Jack Strand, the team’s undrafted rookie and preseason darling. By the time Strand came in for mop-up duty, it was too little, too late. Strand threw a pick-six on his first pass attempt, and finished 8-of-15 for 59 yards.

It’s not just that the Falcons’ quarterbacks haven’t played well, it’s that the results have been disastrous. Through two games, the Falcons have yet to take a single drive into the red zone, according to PFF, a stunning result for a team with a good offensive line and weapons such as Pitts, London and Robinson. Thus far, their lone offensive touchdown has been a 23-yard catch-and-run by Robinson against the Steelers in Week 1.

“I wouldn’t even go there,” Stefanski told reporters when asked about his confidence level in Rush and Strand. “I’m disappointed in our performance as a football team. That’s all of us. That’s not just one position. I’m disappointed and I'm gonna make sure we look at answers and not pinpoint one position.”

On the more optimistic side, Stefanski and the team could get clarity at the position soon. Penix is slated to return from his torn ACL in the near future. In the best case scenario, Penix could prove he is the quarterback of the future he was drafted to be, and have the Falcons pick up his fifth-year option next offseason. Even if he struggles, the Falcons could draft their quarterback of the future if they land a high pick in the draft, which features a promising quarterback class.

Of course, if Stefanski’s past in Cleveland has shown anything, it’s that quarterback certainty is never guaranteed.

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