The Opening Drive 11/3: Schefter's Report Begs Question - Are Berry and Stefanski Still Package Deal?
Reporting on the Browns approach to trade deadline raises more questions about organizational direction.
Welcome to your Monday morning Opening Drive, which surely feels a bit odd with the Browns on their bye week and no outcome to hash out, no new film to dive into, and no emotional hangover to manage.
It has been an unusual bye week, with numerous rumors circulating around the Browns organization and no general manager availability, which is a departure from what we have become accustomed to.
Despite some ridicule from the local media and fans about Berry’s lack of availability, Terry Pluto reported that this decision was made in the offseason.
“I was told the Browns decided in the offseason to skip the midseason press conference with the GM. No other AFC-North team does it. The Browns told me more teams skip it than make their GM available during the bye week. The Browns have always had this bye-week press conference with the GM since the team returned in 1999. I don’t believe GM Andrew Berry is afraid to face the media. He always is prepared and handles himself well in those settings,” Pluto wrote.
With the trade deadline just around the corner on Wednesday, Berry would likely want to avoid answering questions about the team’s direction and potential moves that could be made at the deadline.
The names rumored to be on the trade block include players like Wyatt Teller, David Njoku, Rayshawn Jenkins, Shelby Harris, and Jerome Ford. These are all players not under contract next season and wouldn’t be considered part of their core going forward.
Still, some have made the case for a more aggressive sale of assets at the deadline, given the Browns’ 2-6 record through eight games. However, an Adam Schefter report over the weekend shed a different light on the Browns’ situation.
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In Schefters’ trade deadline article, he wrote this about the Browns’ approach to any moves made at the deadline.
“Though Cleveland already has completed three trades in the past month -- acquiring offensive tackle Cam Robinson, sending quarterback Joe Flacco to Cincinnati and swapping cornerbacks with Jacksonville -- most sources believe that the Browns will be aggressive in acquiring players before the deadline.
The Browns do not sound inclined to trade tight end David Njoku, but they have been calling around the league looking to add quality young players to their roster.”
There have been the usual rumors about Myles Garrett being traded, including some speculation about the Eagles and an offer that includes three first-round draft picks. Still, Schefter added that a source told him there is “no chance” that the Browns would trade Garrett and that “People have a better chance of winning the lottery.”
Accelerated Rebuild - Are Stefanski and Berry Still A Package Deal?
It’s clear that the Browns don’t want to tear things down and are looking to navigate an accelerated rebuild of sorts. It appears they hope to keep their younger contributors on the roster, especially on the defensive side of the ball. At the same time, they will attempt to rebuild the offensive side of the ball so that the team can enter a competitive window again while still having players like Denzel Ward, Grant Delpit, and Garrett on the roster.
A faction of the fan base has had enough of the Berry/Stefanski regime and would like to see them relieved of their positions. In most cases, this move would be accompanied by a roster overhaul and a more aggressive teardown and rebuild.
It has become increasingly challenging to defend Stefanski’s offensive output, and even worse, his week-to-week game planning and schematic approach. He has failed to elevate the offense and has struggled to keep up with the rest of the league schematically, a point that has been well-documented in our film room analysis by Jake Burns.
When taking all of this into account, the question that arises is whether Stefanski and Berry are still considered a package deal. Depending on how the rest of the season plays out, is it possible that the Haslams fire Stefanski and keep Berry as the team’s general manager?
Someone must have brought Stefanski’s most recent shortcomings as the architect of the league’s worst offense over a multiple-year sample size to the attention of Haslam and Berry. Unless we see some remarkable turnaround in the second half, it’s hard to fathom that either man would be ok continuing down this path with Stefanski.
Berry has managed the salary cap in conjunction with Haslam’s willingness to spend, giving the team an advantage in spending power compared to other franchises. Considering this, along with Berry’s recent draft picks and the influx of young talent into the roster, the two first-round picks coming up in 2026, and Schefter’s report about the team’s ongoing efforts to bring in young players who can contribute in the future, it seems like Berry may already have received the green light to begin an accelerated rebuild. However, a significant concern regarding this plan is Stefanski. It appears increasingly likely that the two are no longer seen as a package deal.
The other problem with the plan that Schefter alludes to in his most recent report is that it would be beneficial for the Browns to evaluate some younger players on their roster, especially along the offensive line. Zak Zinter, Luke Wypler, and Teven Jenkins should all get significant snaps in the second half of the 2025 season to evaluate if they can be a part of the offensive rebuild. It is essential to gain an accurate picture of what exactly they have in-house before such a critical offseason, one in which they will look to rebuild the offensive line. If the Browns don’t move on from any of their veteran lineman at the deadline, it complicates the path to valuable snaps for the younger players on this roster, especially at that position.
Browns Film Breakdown will return soon with some fresh All-22 weekend content.
