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Cleveland Browns: Grading John Dorsey’s tenure with the Browns

By Frank Teriaca

NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 16: General Manager of the Cleveland Browns John Dorsey on the sidelines before the start of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 16, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 16: General Manager of the Cleveland Browns John Dorsey on the sidelines before the start of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 16, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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John Dorsey was fired as Cleveland Browns General Manager on Tuesday afternoon. Here is a final grade on how performed in his two seasons in charge.

John Dorsey took over as Cleveland Browns General Manger on December 7, 2017. His first move as GM was cutting the disgruntled receiver Kenny Britt who all but stole money from Jimmy Haslam during his time with the club. That move made it clear to Browns fans that a real football guy was now running the show.

During the 2018 offseason, Dorsey did an excellent job of acquiring true football talent. The additions of Jarvis Landry, Damarious Randall, Carlos Hyde, Chris Hubbard, Tyrod Taylor, TJ Carrie, Terrance Mitchell and Greg Robsinson all made an immediate impact to the 2018 team.

Dorsey was also able to put together a formidable front office with the additions of Director of Player Personnel Alonzo Highsmith and Assistant GM Elliot Wolf. With a structure put in place with the front office, Dorsey then turned his attention to the 2018 NFL Draft.

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This is where Dorsey earned his money. Two top five picks produced quarterback Baker Mayfield and corner back Denzel Ward. Both would go on to be huge contributors by the end of the 2018 season and would be pillars for the future of the Cleveland Browns franchise.

The selection of running back Nick Chubb may go down as John Dorsey’s best draft pick in his time with the club. Chubb, who was second in the NFL in rushing in 2019 with 1,494 yards, looks to be an All-Pro type player for years to come.

The 2018 draft also came with its share of misses lead by second round bust OL Austin Corbett, who was later traded to the Rams during the 2019 season. Fourth round selection, receiver Antonio Callaway, had all the tools to be an excellent NFL player but could not stay out of trouble as he was eventually cut in his second season.

Overall for the 2018 season, Dorsey did an excellent job of laying the foundation for this franchise moving forward. By adding key skill position players and a franchise quarterback, the future was bright and Dorsey was becoming a living legend within the Cleveland community.

The 2019 offseason is where things started to unravel for John Dorsey. He absolutely failed to produce a legitimate coaching search that ended in the hiring of an interim offensive coordinator in Freddie Kitchens. At the time, the move was beloved by fans everywhere as Kitchen’s work with Baker Mayfield was extremely promising.

Dorsey should have know better however. Worried about power, Dorsey never seriously considered coaches who would threaten him as general manager. The coaching staff was oddly put together by plucking random pieces like offensive coordinator Todd Monken and offensive line coach James Campen and throwing them together with no previous experience together.

Dorsey then went out to sign big name players such as Sheldon Richardson and Kareem Hunt while trading for Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon. On paper these moves looked great but obviously it did not mesh on the field.

As for the 2019 NFL Draft, the results were less than to be desired. Linebacker Mack Wilson looks to be a player but the jury is still out on the rest of the class. Corner back Greedy Williams flashed at times but disappeared at others.

As the 2019 season concluded, and it was evident that Dorsey messed up in hiring Freddie Kitchens. Dorsey’s feet were then held to the fire by the Haslam’s. Eventually parting ways, the final view on Dorsey’s two seasons in charge are obviously mixed.

John Dorsey did an excellent job of taking an 0-16 team and making them formidable in only one offseason. Acquiring talent is something Dorsey can do at a high level. Meshing the pieces together into a team is something Dorsey seemed to fail at.

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Dorsey was also unable to put together a decent offensive line which really made things tough on a second-year quarterback. Let’s face the tough facts, Dorsey seems to be an excellent personnel executive but may not be cut to be a general manager.

Final grade: B-

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