Kevin Stefanski is no stranger to criticism and doubt, but his welcome to Atlanta has been met with a different type of skepticism. The Atlanta Falcons were among 10 teams searching for new head coaches this offseason, and the dust has finally settled. All ten have hired brand-new head coaches for the upcoming season, and the comparisons have officially begun.
While most of Falcons nation is excited for Stefanski's inaugural season in Atlanta, the national media is not as convinced he's the right choice. Among the nine coaches that Matt Ryan interviewed, four of them landed head coaching jobs elsewhere.
Out of those four, FanSided's own Lou Scataglia ranked three as better hires than Stefanski. The disrespect only continues. Out of the ten head coaches hired this cycle, Stefanski is ranked as the seventh best in Scataglia's power rankings.
While other parts of the list could be picked apart and ridiculed, this disrespect is ridiculous. Stefanski has just as many Coach of the Year awards as the other nine coaches combined. Former Ravens head coach-turned-Giants' coach John Harbaugh has the list's other two awards.
Kevin Stefanski is a much better fit for the Falcons than the media is giving him credit for
Excluding Harbaugh, Stefanski has more than the other eight coaches combined (0). Not only that, but Stefanski has a playoff win and two playoff appearances as well. Above him are four first-time NFL head coaches, which is straight-up insanity.
While these new coaches have certainly found success in various coordinator roles, none have the resume of Stefanski, which he did despite ownership working against him.
The main reason he's near the bottom of this list is his lack of quarterback development over the six seasons in Cleveland and his brutal coaching record. Through his six years with the Browns, Stefanski oversaw 13 different starting QBs and only one season where the opening day starter finished as the starting quarterback at season's end (2020).
Some of this could be chalked up to injury or poor trade/draft decisions. Moving into Atlanta, Stefanski has a similar QB dilemma, just on a lesser scale.
The Falcons seem to be preparing to cut ties with Kirk Cousins, while Michael Penix Jr is coming off another ACL tear. The 2026 Week 1 quarterback is still up in the air, but regardless, Stefanski must develop someone into a star for this offense to climb.
Assuming he brings his intense quarterback developmental mindset into Atlanta, he'll be pouring everything he has into whoever is in that room, but looks to be giving Penix a real shot to succeed.
Now that we've dissected this transfer of power, it's easy to see why Stefanski being ranked No. 7 is disrespectful at best. Falcons fans are thankful the two-time Coach of the Year recipient was hired by Ryan, and so is Stefanski. He'll have every opportunity to prove doubters wrong in 2026.