Report: Andrew Berry leading candidate for Cleveland Browns GM vacancy
By Dan Justik
The Cleveland Browns said they will be hiring a head coach before a general manager, however Andrew Berry remains a leading candidate for the GM vacancy.
On Thursday, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said the organization will be hiring a head coach before a general manager. Despite that, Andrew Berry is reportedly a leading candidate for the general manager vacancy.
According to Zac Jackson of The Athletic (subscription required), multiple league sources have said they believe Berry is the leading candidate for the general manager vacancy. But with Haslam wanting the head coach to have a large input in who becomes the general manager, it is far from certain who will land the job.
Berry is currently in his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles as the Vice President of Football Operations. Prior to joining the Eagles, Berry spent three seasons as the Browns Vice President of Player Personnel. He left his role with the Browns to join the Eagles in February 2019.
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Berry was hired by the Browns during the Sashi Brown regime, and was hired four weeks after Paul DePodesta, who remains as the team’s Chief Strategy Officer. Browns ownership and DePodesta are believed to be big fans of Berry’s work.
The Indianapolis Colts hired Berry as a pro scout in 2011. One season later, he was promoted to pro scouting coordinator and served in that capacity for four seasons before being hired by the Browns.
Berry has made his mark as a talent evaluator with his approach to analytics, but also having an old-school style of scouting. As the Browns look to mold a front office with less dysfunction, Berry would be a good fit as a middle ground of the “analytics side” and “football side” of the Cleveland front office that had issues over the past two seasons.
With the Haslams wanting to bring Berry back into the Cleveland front office, it may be difficult to do so unless they name him general manager. The Eagles have the right to block a lateral move for Berry, so the Browns would need to offer him a promotion from his current position in Philadelphia.
If the Haslams are keen on hiring Berry, then the head coach may not have as much say in who becomes the general manager. Head coach candidates would likely want to bring in a person they are familiar with to be the general manager. Naming Berry the general manager without the head coach being all-in on the hire would be the arranged marriage Browns ownership said they wanted to avoid.
Next. List and background of every Browns HC candidate. dark
As the Browns go through a wide range of head coaching candidates, the general manager search will be put on hold. But no matter who the Browns hire as head coach, Berry seems to be well-positioned to be in serious consideration for Cleveland’s general manager vacancy.