The Opening Drive 1/6: The Factors That Led to Andrew Berry Keeping His Position
It's not difficult to make the case for dismissal, but there are key reasons why the Browns kept him in place.
The Cleveland Browns fired Kevin Stefanski on Monday, as most had come to suspect given the insider reports around the league and his rather transparent farewell press conference on Friday. Many fans were upset that Stefanski was the only one shown the door, while Andrew Berry retained his position in the front office and will now spearhead the search for Stefanski’s replacement.
Defending Stefanski had become increasingly difficult as losses piled up over the last two seasons, and his offense finished among the worst in the league for two straight years. The truth is, for someone in their 40s like myself, Stefanski delivered the best Browns memories of our adult lives. However, after six years, he had lost some of the schematic edge that defined his early tenure. While the offense lacked the talent it once had, it was still unable to do much of anything right over the past two seasons. It was time for a change.
As for the decision to keep Berry, I understand the fans’ frustration. If Stefanski lacked talent, isn’t that on Berry? Wasn’t he responsible for the Deshaun Watson trade? Yes and yes. However, moving on from Berry was always going to be difficult given how he has managed the salary cap. To maximize spending power, the Browns have consistently pushed contracts into the future using void years.
This is where Berry shines. He has navigated the Watson fiasco while still keeping the team in position to spend every year. His detailed, long-term planning — combined with the Haslams’ willingness to spend — has made that possible. It’s also what made trading Myles Garrett impossible last summer. Berry has created a fragile financial ecosystem, and handing it off to someone else without blowing everything up would be incredibly difficult.
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Berry has had his misses, no doubt, but he also just had his best draft ever and maneuvered a strong trade on Day 1 of the draft. With Paul DePodesta gone, Berry can now operate without him lording over the team’s every move and, hopefully, continue producing drafts like last year — focusing on premium offensive positions such as tackle, wide receiver, and quarterback.
Berry also represents a buffer between the Haslams and the upcoming franchise-changing decisions. Without Berry in place, it would be Jimmy and Dee, along with whatever committee they hired, making the decisions on who to bring in as general manager and head coach. I believe Berry is smart enough to learn from past mistakes and improve, and I’d rather have him leading the organization through this reset than the Haslams.
Berry and Stefanski had a close working relationship, both reporting to Jimmy Haslam rather than to each other. It’s reasonable to believe that Berry observed what worked well with Stefanski and where he struggled. After six years alongside him, Berry likely has a strong sense of what he believes will and won’t work in a head coach. That experience should be instrumental in guiding the search in the right direction.
So while you’ll get no argument from me that there is a case to justify Berry’s firing, he appears to be the Browns’ best path forward given the factors at play.
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You certainly may be right about the complexity of Berry's cap management set up, but tbh, I would be surprised if it was something many competent GMs couldn't get a handle on. I certainly do agree that Berry, even with his faults, would be far preferable to the Haslams wrt picking a new HC.
I agree totally with your assessment. Berry is a smart guy , who undoubtedly has learned from his mistakes and will continue to bring in good players. JH made the best move possible considering the circumstances