3. Signing Jack Conklin
The Cleveland Browns offense was supposed to be much better than it turned out to be in 2019. With Baker Mayfield under center, the Browns offense looked explosive as he could get the ball to running back Nick Chubb as well as receivers Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry. There was also reserve running back Kareem Hunt who was available in the second half of the season and David Njoku had been a solid pass-catching tight end in the past.
The problem is, Mayfield never had adequate time to get the ball to his playmakers. The offensive line in Cleveland prove to be more offensive than the team had planned. They simply couldn’t block anyone, something highlighted early on in the season as Mayfield was sacked for a safety in Week 1 as they were smoked by the Tennessee Titans.
Things never got better for No. 6 as he was sacked 40 times during the season. That was 15 more than the previous campaign, which also saw him on the field for two fewer games.
Realizing this couldn’t continue in 2020, Andrew Berry went out in free agency and signed the best offensive tackle available in Jack Conklin from the Tennessee Titans. Conklin will continue to play right tackle, which is where he lined up for the Titans and he’ll be a big upgrade over Chris Hubbard — who actually stayed on and took a pay cut to provide solid depth for the team.
They knew they were going to go with a rookie early on in the draft but landing Conklin gave them one solid veteran starter, which makes it one of the better moves Berry made for Cleveland.