Browns shouldn’t ignore GM Andrew Berry’s role in last two failed seasons: Dan Labbe

CINCINNATI — The Browns moving connected from caput coach Kevin Stefanski astatine immoderate constituent successful nan adjacent early seems inevitable. Regardless of their 20-18 triumph against nan Bengals, it appears Stefanski is nan 1 who will salary nan value for different disappointing season, moreover if expectations weren’t that precocious coming into nan year.

It appears GM Andrew Berry is safe, astir apt saved by a beardown draught past April.

Stefanski didn’t triumph enough. Sometimes it’s that simple.

But if nan Browns are going to person difficult conversations astir wherever their squad and roster guidelines aft winning conscionable 8 games nan past 2 seasons, Berry shouldn’t flight nan blasted for wherever this has gone.

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Maybe this became a moot constituent erstwhile nan Haslams refused to blasted Berry aliases Stefanski for nan grounded Deshaun Watson trade, but Berry’s fingerprints are each complete nan woody that group nan franchise backmost for years.

The Browns went all-in nan time they made that waste and acquisition and it resulted successful a azygous playoff nonaccomplishment successful a play wherever Watson was a footnote.

It’s uncommon that a GM would get truthful galore bites astatine nan backmost apple. Assuming they spell successful a different guidance astatine nan position this offseason — and they astir surely should — it would people Berry’s 3rd effort astatine replacing Baker Mayfield aft they decided to move connected from nan erstwhile first-round pick.

He grounded past offseason to build a viable backmost room aliases offense, banking excessively heavy connected an aging, injury-prone violative statement and improvement successful nan wide receiver room that ne'er happened.

He built a backmost room featuring 4 quarterbacks who would beryllium backups astatine champion successful astir different places. The 2 favorites to triumph nan job, successful fact, Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco, really ended up arsenic backups successful different places.

Berry’s resume, for illustration Stefanski’s, isn’t each bad. His 2025 draught was strong. His acquisitions of players for illustration Amari Cooper and Tyson Campbell were wins. There are ever going to beryllium ups and downs complete six seasons.

He has struggled to build a complete capable roster to compete complete nan past 2 seasons, leaving nan squad short astatine backmost particularly by banking excessively heavy connected young players for illustration Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Dillon Gabriel arsenic backups. At different positions he has relied excessively overmuch connected improvement of his ain picks pinch mixed results.

The Browns are besides navigating a difficult headdress business astir Watson’s statement and different all-in money decisions Berry made to owe nan early connected a roster that ne'er delivered what they thought it could.

Maybe past year’s draught was a motion that Berry fixed immoderate of nan issues that led to iffy drafts successful his first 5 seasons. Maybe different play successful this existent roster reset will output affirmative results. That’s nan dream successful handing Berry nan keys to excavation retired of nan spread he helped excavation successful nan first place.

It’s besides imaginable that a coach who aligns much pinch Berry’s imagination will thief nan talent he acquired look better.

Regardless, nan spotlight of this team’s failures displacement to nan GM. Much for illustration clip yet ran retired connected Stefanski changing coordinators and handing disconnected play-calling, clip will tally retired connected Berry if a caller coach doesn’t toggle shape nan roster he’s built into a victor soon.

Firing Stefanski and keeping Berry is nan Browns trying to straddle a statement that’s often difficult to straddle. The 2 person been tied astatine nan hep since they arrived successful 2020 and stock successful nan successes and failures of this six-year era.

If a caller coach comes successful and, a twelvemonth from now, believes nan roster isn’t bully enough, it could spell nan extremity for Berry and a wasted offseason.

In nan end, Stefanski will salary nan price, but Berry should cognize he’s arsenic overmuch to blame.

Dan Labbe has been a Browns newsman since 2016. A postgraduate of Kent State University, he started astatine cleveland.com successful 2006 and has held various roles, including sports shaper and societal media producer. Prior...