Why Andrew Berry shouldn't get a pass for Browns failed season

The Cleveland Browns are 1-5 and not many signs point towards improvement.

After back-to-back embarrassing losses, pressure has started to mount on head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Naturally, tensions are high after Cleveland lost in Pittsburgh for the 22nd consecutive time. After the game, Myles Garrett delivered some alarming quotes that alluded to the locker room being lost.

While Browns ownership has previously been tremendously supportive of Stefanski, a bad loss this weekend against the hapless Miami Dolphins could be enough to sink the ship of the former two-time Coach of the Year.

But Browns general manager Andrew Berry has somehow managed to escape plenty of the blame for this debacle in Cleveland. While Stefanski’s team certainly has not looked prepared on game days dating back to the 2023 season, Berry deserves a good chunk of blame for this failed season. 

On Monday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin blasted Berry’s decision to trade Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, marking the first trade that Cleveland and Cincinnati have ever made in the expansion era.

Supporters of Berry will point to his ability to manipulate the salary cap. The team’s decision to pay Deshaun Watson $230 million fully guaranteed for just 19 regular season games will go down as one of the worst trades in the history of sports, but Berry is not blamed much for putting that in motion. His cap skills have allowed the Browns to continue to spend despite this monstrosity of a contract.

But being a general manager in the NFL is about more than just balancing a cap sheet. It’s also more than making draft picks. Berry’s rookie draft class has been applauded, with Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, Carson Schwesinger and Harold Fannin Jr. all looking like key pieces to the franchise moving forward.

However, Berry has failed at constructing a roster that can find success in the NFL. That's not something that can be rectified by one above average draft class.

The Browns have the worst wide receiver group in the league. Jerry Jeudy was guaranteed $41 million to be Cleveland’s No. 1 wide receiver. He has been one of the worst pass catchers in the league by many advanced metrics. But the Browns can’t move on from Jeudy because they have been unable to develop any other receivers internally.

2024 fifth-round draft pick Jamari Thrash has caught 10 passes for 75 yards in his career. Undrafted free agents Isaiah Bond and Gage Larvadain have not lived up to their preseason expectations. Cedric Tillman and David Bell can’t even stay healthy enough to play a full NFL season.

It doesn’t get much better for Berry. The Browns used just one pick in their last two draft classes on the offensive line despite every single starter being a free agent after this season.

Zak Zinter was drafted in the third round and is a healthy scratch on game days.

Cleveland’s offensive line has been a disaster. A rotating cast of tackles including Dawand Jones, Cam Robinson, KT Leveston and Cornelius Lucas have failed to protect the passer.

Berry’s negligence of the offensive line has made it tremendously difficult to evaluate third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, who has constantly been running for his life over the last two games. Further, it's clouded the longterm outlook on this team as the Browns have many holes that were not addressed with developmental prospects.

Berry and Stefanski inherited a roster riddled with talent. Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb were yet to step into the prime of their careers. Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry were both coming off of 1,000 yard receiving seasons when this regime took over. It's impossible to argue that the Browns are currently in a better place now than they were then.

The Browns have 11 regular season games remaining before they cross the finish line of another wasted season. Surely, there’s enough time to get this thing turned around and moving in the right direction before next year.

If they don’t, we all know what happens.

Stefanski repeatedly tells the media that they are going to be better. It’s difficult to believe him because of the lack of talent that Berry has put together. One good draft class does not make up for five prior offseasons of building towards nothing.