The Browns’ staff under new GM John Dorsey is starting to take shape. The Browns have hired executive Alonzo Highsmith away from the Packers, as Ryan Wood of the Press-Gazette tweets. Highsmith’s title will be Vice President of Football Operations, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Highsmith has served as the Packers’ senior personnel executive since 2012 and, this past season not withstanding, their strong drafts have propelled them to tremendous success. Highsmith has garnered attention from other teams in the past and been made to stay, but it appears that he has either secured permission to go elsewhere or his contract has expired.
“We discussed so many ideas and all kinds of stuff,” Highsmith said to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky in a phone interview. “I was exposed to so much stuff today. That’s why I thought it was as great opportunity. It feels good to go somewhere that you feel like you’re trusted.”
Dorsey is expected to shift the Browns’ front office from a focus on analytics to a concentration on old-fashioned scouting and the hiring of Highsmith is a major push in that direction. With a new lieutenant in town, the team could be one step closer to moving on from former baseball GM Paul DePodesta. Recently, Dorsey ripped into predecessor Sashi Brown as well as the people working underneath him.
I think this front office will do well. It’s going to take some time to turn this roster around but I believe they can get it done. There are a few guys on this roster who are pretty good but for the most part they gotta pretty much completely remake the roster so it’ll take a few years for sure so hopefully people understand that abs don’t jump all over these guys for not winning in the first year or two.
Let’s put it this way…. it can’t do any worse than the last front office.
Why do people keep saying the Packers have had “strong drafts”? They’ve found serviceable players, but nothing great and have struck out time and time again in the first two rounds.
Rodgers, Jordy, Adams, Cobb, Matthews, Perry, Bulaga, Bakhtiari, Ha Ha, Burnett. You’re right that home talent is terrible..
Not to mention the jury is still out on Kenny Clark, King and Jones. I’ll let you hold this L
Yes, so much talent that they won 3 games without ARod and two of those were in OT.
Hold on there, Cheesehead. Highsmith only joined the Packers Front Office in 2012. Let’s not go back to Aaron Rodgers with his tenure. Strong drafts is a good description. But, don’t act like they knocked it out of the park every time.
You just mentioned 10 players over the course of 13 years, half of whom are nothing special…Burnett is an above avg safety, Bulaga is an above avg OT, Perry has had one maybe two good seasons but certainly nothing special.
I’m pretty sure wriggleyhawkeye said they have found a few serviceable guys stuck out time and time again in the first two rounds.
2012: Nick Perry, Casey Heyward & Mike Daniels
2013: David Backhtairi and Micah Hyde
2014: Ha Ha and Davante Adams
2015: Randall, Rollins and Ty Montgomery
2016: Kenny Clark and Blake Martinez
2017: Kevin King and Josh Jones plus Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams both late who look solid.
Not to mention Backhtiari is a pro bowler, Adams is a top 10 WR in football, Heyward and Hyde (while both gone) are two pro bowlers, Ha Ha has been a pro bowler, Blake Martinez had 144 tackles his second year in the league, Daniels has been a pro bowler and those ‘serviceable’ guys who said who include Jones, Perry, Clark, Randall, Montgomery.
From 2012 -2017 I would love to hear teams who consistently draft outside the top 23 have better talent than that.
Hopefully DePodesta still has a desk at Citi Field with the Mets
He’s a numbers guy. He’s like a condom- rather have one and not need it then need it and not have one.
Who cares
I do.
He shouldn’t have a problem getting back Into baseball. Maybe back to the Indians where he started