AP

After the Browns lost to the Seahawks last Sunday, quarterback Johnny Manziel shared his hope that the team will opt for stability in the wake of another losing season.

If the Browns did make major changes to the coaching staff and/or front office while keeping Manziel, it would be the first time that the quarterback’s gone through one of the upheavals closely associated with the franchise since it returned to the NFL in 1999. Left tackle Joe Thomas has been through several of those upheavals since joining the team, which gives him some insight into how these things play out.

Thomas didn’t make an explicit pronouncement about exactly what he’d like to see the Browns do, but didn’t sound like he was hoping to see big changes this offseason. Thomas said the 3-11 team would have to prepare for “one step back that you have to take” and weigh that against the growth that can come from staying the course.

“You’re going to get a lot of new players, you’re going to get, obviously, new coaches, new people in the building and it does take time to teach people the new philosophy, the new procedures, the new schemes,” Thomas said, via Cleveland.com. “There’s a level of proficiency that you can get in a year to be ok, but it really takes a few years in a scheme before you can get really good at something.”

Thomas is signed through 2018, but he was nearly traded to the Broncos before the trade deadline this year so the Browns could explore moving him again this offseason. If they do go that route, that one step back could come whether they overhaul the organization or not.