At NFL Honors, the Associated Press honored the Browns for their 2023 season of excellence.
The Browns won all four of the awards on Thursday night, including Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Comeback Player of the Year. Players and coaches were nominated for these honors.
Coach Kevin Stefanski became the 13th coach in history to win two Coach of the Year awards after winning his second one in his four years as head coach. Jim Schwartz, the defensive coordinator for the Browns, won the title of Assistant Coach of the Year in honor of the team’s performance in his rookie
“I want to express my gratitude to the Browns organization for their unwavering belief in me,” Garrett said as he accepted the honor. “We had an incredible fraternity that helped me get here and supported me, including Jimmy and Dee Haslam, Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski, and (Jim) Schwartz. In addition, a fantastic team that has supported my wellness over the past two years has been around me. I was able to bring my high school coach here. It’s been a blessing, so thank you.”
Comeback Player of the Year went to quarterback Joe Flacco in the end. To accept his prize, Flacco went to NFL Honors as well.
As he won the prize, Flacco said, “Big thanks to the city of Cleveland, just everybody in Cleveland.” “I would like to express my gratitude to my teammates for allowing me to use their locker room at that particular time of the year. I want to express my gratitude to those guys because it’s not always easy to welcome a new guy. I would want to express my gratitude to the organization for providing me with the chance to pursue my passion, which is playing football. And I want to express my gratitude to the city for giving my family and I a sense of belonging.
The four prizes, together with their respective winners, represented everything the Browns endured in 2023. The Browns signed a quarterback 12 weeks into the season who led them to a postseason berth, and they had a head coach who guided them through the highs and lows of the season. They also fielded one of the best defenses in the league, led by a player in Garrett for whom opponents had to prepare.
Throughout the 2023 season, the Browns faced hardships as they lost several starters and supporting cast members due to season-ending injuries sustained in Week 1. Throughout the season, they started five different quarterbacks and depended on the next man up philosophy, which the whole team adopted.Through it all, in Week 17 against the Jets, they secured a postseason berth for the first time since 2020. Their 11 regular season victories tied for the second-highest total in franchise history, only surpassed by the 12 victories of the 1986 squad. The Browns set a team record for home victories by finishing the regular season 8-1.
Many players, along with Stefanski, considered the significance of the 2023 season for the team when the Browns’ season came to an end due to their loss to the Texans in the Wild Card round. From the way the defense celebrated victories during games to the way the attacking players lifted each other up off the field and completely bought into each other’sHowever, there’s still a thirst for more.
The 2023 season came to an end with the NFL Honors, which honored individual players and the season as a whole. The Browns are now focusing on 2024 in an attempt to advance. Garrett reiterated optimism about the Browns’ future as he concluded his acceptance speech at NFL Honors.
“And to the city of Cleveland, this one’s for you,” he added. “Next time, we’re going to bring something bigger home. Come on, let’s go.”
