Andrew Berry - Pro Football Rumors

Browns GM On OBJ, Hunt, Free Agency

February 5th, 2020 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, the Browns formally introduced old friend and new GM Andrew Berry to the media. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from his presser:

It sounds like running back Kareem Hunt will have an opportunity to move forward with the Browns, despite his latest misstep. “With Kareem, we’ve communicated our expectations for him moving forward,” Berry said (via Jeff Risdon of USA Today). “We want guys who are going to be smart, tough, and accountable on and off the field. Kareem understands that.” Hunt, who was cut by the Chiefs after a video showed him shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel, was recently found with marijuana and vodka after being pulled over by cops. The Browns can retain Hunt via the restricted free agent tender or negotiate a new deal with him, but it seems unlikely that they’ll want to make a long-term commitment to him at this time.
Berry offered similar thoughts regarding Odell Beckham Jr., though he noted that both he and Hunt will have to fit into the Browns’ “culture in terms of being smart, tough and accountable.” The GM says that both he and head coach Kevin Stefanski have chatted with Beckham, an indication that they’re all on the same page. OBJ reportedly wanted out of Cleveland towards the end of the season, but we recently heard that the Browns’ new regime has every intention of keeping him. OBJ had “just” 1,035 yards in a down year, but the Browns believe that he can get back to his old form in short order.
Berry says the Browns plan to “aggressively add talent” this offseason (via 92.3 The Fan). With roughly $50MM in available cap room, the GM will have opportunities to spend in March before he makes his pick at No. 10 overall in April.

AFC North Notes: Berry, Ravens, Mixon

January 27th, 2020 at 9:04pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a quick swing around the AFC North:

The Browns hired former Eagles’ VP of Football Operations Andrew Berry to be their GM and EVP of Football Operations today, and he will report directly to owner Jimmy Haslam, just like new head coach Kevin Stefanski and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks it’s fair to wonder whether Berry will really have final say over roster decisions, as his contract says he will. Of course, in order to pry Berry away from Philadelphia, Cleveland needed to give him such power contractually, but whether Berry will be permitted to fully use that power is another story. Stefanski and DePodesta may not be keen on consistently yielding to Berry, who was probably the team’s No. 2 choice behind Vikings exec George Paton.
In 2019, the Ravens made a number of in-season signings to bolster their defense that ended up paying major dividends. Baltimore has already inked one such acquisition, L.J. Fort, to a two-year extension, and Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic believes the club could also look to re-sign OLB/DE Jihad Ward and DT Justin Ellis.
Many have noted the Ravens‘ need to add pass rushing talent, and much of that discussion has focused on edge rushers. But in the same piece, Zrebiec says Baltimore will think long and hard about selecting a quality pass-rushing interior defensive lineman if one is available near the end of the first round. The Ravens haven’t really had such a player since the heyday of Haloti Ngata.
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic lays out a number of moves he believes the Bengals should make this offseason. The entire piece is worth a read for Cincy fans, but one move that Dehner thinks is especially likely to come to fruition is an extension for running back Joe Mixon. We recently heard that director of player personnel Duke Tobin would explore a new contract for his RB1, and such a deal won’t be cheap.

Browns Hire Andrew Berry As GM

January 27th, 2020 at 11:51am CST by Zachary Links

It’s a done deal. On Monday, the Browns officially hired Eagles’ VP of Football Operations Andrew Berry to be their GM and EVP of Football Operations. The Browns will announce the news this afternoon with a full-blown press conference to come next week.

Berry was ID’d as a top candidate for the job soon after the Browns parted ways with John Dorsey. Berry spent years as a part of the Browns’ braintrust before moving on to Philly and his relationship with owner Jimmy Haslam ultimately led to a deal.

Still, the Browns considered other candidates along the way. Vikings exec George Paton might have been the favorite for the job after the interview process. But, last week, he removed his name from consideration.

Paton was reportedly unsure about how the Browns would divvy up power. Berry, apparently, doesn’t share the same level of concern. He’ll report directly to owner Jimmy Haslam, along with new head coach Kevin Stefanski and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta. The Browns operated that way during the Sashi Brown–Hue Jackson years, so Berry is at least familiar with that arrangement.

Berry studied and played football at Harvard before moving on to scouting and front office positions with the Colts, Browns, and Eagles. Now, at the age of 32, he’ll get to run his own show.

Berry will inherit a talented roster, plus a projected $50MM in cap room for the upcoming offseason. He’ll also have the No. 10 overall pick to work with, thanks to the Browns’ disappointing 6-10 finish in 2019.

George Paton Out Of Browns’ GM Search

January 24th, 2020 at 2:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Viewed as the frontrunner to become the Browns’ next general manager, George Paton removed his name from consideration for the position, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter).

The Vikings’ assistant GM spent time in Cleveland this week going through a second interview, one that was expected to lead to his joining Kevin Stefanski as the key members of the next Browns power structure. But an organization that has struggled to form continuity under its current ownership will now have to make another plan.

Paton’s withdrawal partially stems from an uncertainty about how the Browns would divvy up power, Cabot adds. The GM, Stefanski and chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta are set to report to owner Jimmy Haslam. The Browns operated that way during the Sashi Brown–Hue Jackson years and are set to return to that arrangement.

A 13-year Vikings executive, Paton has turned down multiple teams who have sought meetings with him for GM vacancies. The selective exec was initially contemplating doing the same to the Browns. His apprehension stemmed from former Browns front office staffer Andrew Berry‘s relationship with Haslam potentially making him the favorite for the job, but Paton took a meeting with Browns ownership because of Stefanski’s presence.

Berry is again the leading candidate for the job, Cabot reports. The Eagles exec is eager to prove he is not a “1-31 football GM,” according to TheLandonDemand.com’s Tony Grossi (Twitter link). It appears Berry is still interested in returning to Cleveland. Berry, who joined Paton and Patriots exec Monti Ossenfort in interviewing for the Browns’ GM role, spent 2016-18 with the Browns before joining the Eagles as VP of football operations last year.

Berry has received interest from the Panthers as well, but the Eagles blocked him interviewing for a non-GM job with Carolina. One of Sashi Brown‘s top lieutenants during the Browns’ new-age front office experiment, Berry remains close to DePodesta. The ex-MLB GM is running the Browns’ GM search. Stefanski and Berry also became acquainted during the Browns’ 2019 coaching search, and Cabot notes the two are still interested in working together.

While the Brown-DePodesta-Berry experiment produced historically terrible results — a 1-31 record from 2016-17 — Haslam retaining DePodesta and bringing Berry back in for an interview confirm the owner remains interested in this analytically geared vision.

The Browns have gone through amazing front office turnover under Haslam. Their most recent regime change involved parting ways with John Dorsey after barely two years. Brown received less time. So did the Michael Lombardi–Joe Banner power structure. Ray Farmer also did not get two full years on job. Haslam fired Tom Heckert, GM from 2010-12, in his first months as owner.

Latest On Browns, George Paton

January 22nd, 2020 at 8:45am CST by Sam Robinson

Jan. 22: Paton’s second interview with the Browns will take place today, per Nate Ulirch of the Akron Beacon Journal (via Twitter). Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com, who first reported that Paton was flying to Cleveland today, said we could have a resolution in the next couple of days (Twitter link).

Jan. 20: George Paton has moved to the front of the Browns’ GM search, with the Minnesota-to-Cleveland pairing of Paton-Kevin Stefanski looking like the next Browns power structure.

But the longtime Vikings executive will meet with Browns brass one more time, doing so later this week, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes. With the Vikings since 2007, Paton has been selective about his GM future over the past several years. He’s turned down multiple teams’ offers since 2017, so it would certainly be interesting to see Rick Spielman‘s top lieutenant jump ship to one of the NFL’s least stable franchises.

Initially, Paton paused on taking a Browns interview because of the prospect of an Andrew Berry reunion, Cabot adds. But the prospect of working with Stefanski enticed him to take the meeting.

Berry was a Browns exec from 2016-18, coming aboard when Jimmy Haslam brought in Sashi Brown and current chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta to run a new-age front office. But Paton’s first Browns meeting obviously went quite well, and he appears to be leading a field that includes Berry and Patriots exec Monti Ossenfort.

Paton’s Vikings tenure overlapped with Stefanski’s. The new Browns HC also became acquainted with Berry during the John Dorsey-led coaching search that led to Freddie Kitchens taking over. Berry then joined the Eagles’ front office. But a Minneapolis East setup may be the latest in a long line of power structures under Haslam.

Latest On Browns, George Paton

January 16th, 2020 at 4:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:20pm: Paton may not be as interested in the position as Berry or Ossenfort. The experienced exec does not, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling, have an interview scheduled with the Browns (Twitter link). Paton has been especially selective over the years, so further deliberation would not exactly be a surprise.

2:26pm: The Browns’ GM search will include an interview will include a meeting with George Paton. The Vikings’ assistant GM will meet with the Browns this weekend, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Paton joins Eagles executive Andrew Berry and Patriots front office staffer Monti Ossenfort as candidates. A few more names have been mentioned in this search, but the Browns’ interview itinerary has formed.

In the GM mix for years, Paton would seemingly be a natural fit for a team that just hired longtime Vikings assistant Kevin Stefanski. A career-long Vikings coach, Stefanski has worked with Paton for 13 years. Paton has been with the Vikings since 2007 and previously worked with current boss Rick Spielman in Miami and Chicago.

Paton was in the mix for the 49ers job that went to John Lynch three years ago but turned down an opportunity to interview with the Jets last year. He did the same when John Dorsey‘s ouster created a Chiefs GM vacancy in 2017. The Browns prioritized hiring their head coach first this time around, with chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta overseeing the coaching search that produced Stefanski after Dorsey ran last year’s process.

Panthers Still Interested In Andrew Berry

January 16th, 2020 at 1:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers are still interested in speaking with Eagles VP of Football Operations Andrew Berry for their Executive VP of Football Operations role, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets. However, the Panthers would likely have to offer Berry control over the roster in order for the Eagles to grant permission.

Earlier this week, the Eagles rejected the Panthers’ request to chat with Berry, citing the roster control issue. At present, the Panthers’ roster is controlled by GM Marty Hurney.

The Panthers may or may not want to stick with Hurney as their front office leader for the 2020 offseason, but Berry’s candidacy for this particular job could wind up being moot. On Friday, Berry will interview for the Browns’ GM vacancy. The Eagles can’t prevent him from accepting an offer there and he could be off the table for the Panthers in a matter of days.

Browns To Interview Andrew Berry

January 16th, 2020 at 1:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Andrew Berry, the Eagles’ VP of football operations, will interview for the Browns GM job on Friday, Jim Trotter of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.Patriots college scouting director Monti Ossenfort will also be in the building on Friday to interview for the same job, but as Trotter notes, the Browns had similar overlap in their head coaching search.

Berry has been the rumored favorite for the job, in part because of his relationship with the organization and owner Jimmy Haslam. The exec spent the 2016-18 campaigns as the Browns’ vice president of player personnel. Prior to that, he served as the Colts’ pro scouting coordinator from 2012-15.

Recently, the Eagles denied the Panthers’ request to interview Berry for a front office position. They have no such ability here, since the GM job would give Berry authority over the roster.

It remains to be seen whether a front office headlined by Berry, Ossenfort, or anyone else would still include assistant GM Eliot Wolf or VP of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith.

Eagles Deny Panthers’ Request To Interview Andrew Berry

January 13th, 2020 at 6:54pm CST by Rory Parks

Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry is a popular man these days. The Browns are interested in Berry for their GM vacancy, and the Panthers also requested an interview with Berry, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (via Twitter). Adam Schefter says Carolina wanted to interview Berry for its executive vice president position (Twitter link), but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the Eagles denied the request (Twitter link).

Because the Panthers wanted to hire Berry for a role that doesn’t include final roster authority, Philadelphia has the right to block the interview. The Panthers already have Marty Hurney in place as GM, and recent reports indicated that Hurney and new head coach Matt Rhule would collaborate in finding an assistant GM. But Panthers owner David Tepper wants to add multiple people to his front office, and Berry’s significant personnel experience intrigued him.

A Harvard graduate, Berry first entered the NFL in 2009 as a scouting assistant in the Colts’ front office. He was eventually promoted through a number of roles, and he ultimately served as Indianapolis’ pro scouting coordinator from 2012-15 before leaving for Cleveland, where he spent the 2016-18 campaigns as vice president of player personnel.

Though his three years in Cleveland did not go particularly well, Berry is currently considered the favorite for the Browns’ GM job, where he would work with new head coach Kevin Stefanski and chief strategist Paul DePodesta.

Browns Hire Kevin Stefanski As Head Coach

January 13th, 2020 at 5:23pm CST by Rory Parks

Jan. 13: The Browns have formally announced the hire. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Cleveland has given Stefanski a five-year contract (Twitter link).

Jan. 12: The Browns will hire Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports (via Twitter) that it’s a done deal. Stefanski was the runner-up for the Cleveland HC gig last year, and after Freddie Kitchen‘s disastrous 2019 campaign resulted in his dismissal, the Browns have circled back to the man many believe they should have hired in the first place.

Stefanski has served in a variety of roles for the Vikings since joining the organization back in 2006, including stints as the tight ends coach, running backs coach, and quarterbacks coach. The 37-year-old was named interim offensive coordinator following the firing of John DeFilippo during the 2018 season, and he earned the full-time gig prior to the 2019 campaign.

During Stefanski’s first full season at the helm, the Vikings ranked as a top-10 offense in points. The coach led the trio of Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, and Mike Boone to top-six rankings in rushing yards and touchdowns, and he also helped quarterback Kirk Cousins have one of the best seasons of his career. Although the Vikings laid an egg in Saturday’s divisional round loss to the 49ers, Cleveland was obviously undeterred.

The Browns’ coaching search saw them interview eight candidates, as our 2020 head coaching search tracker shows (former Baylor HC Matt Rhule, who ultimately accepted the Panthers’ head coaching job, turned down the opportunity to interview with Cleveland). Browns chief strategist Paul DePodesta piloted the search, and recent reports indicated that he had narrowed his list to Stefanski and Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, though Cabot tweets that Stefanski and 49ers DC Robert Saleh were the two finalists.

Interestingly, DePodesta’s contract with Cleveland is reportedly set to expire, but given his role in the coaching search, it seems likely that the Browns will retain him. However, the team continues to search for a new GM, and Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry may have just become the leading candidate for that role, as his analytically-driven approach meshes with Stefanski’s.

Meanwhile, Vikings QB coach Klint Kubiak could follow Stefanski to Cleveland to become the Browns’ new OC, as Mike Klis of 9News.com tweets.

With the Stefanski hire, the 2020 head coaching cycle has come to a stop. The Browns were the last of the five teams with a head coaching vacancy this year to hire their HC.