Andrew Berry gets a lot of credit for rebuilding the Cleveland Browns. He’s been great, but he may be wrong about these four things.
The Cleveland Browns rested up this week after a fantastic win in Week 8 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals at home on Monday Night Football. At 3-5 things could be worse, but three losses vs. the Jets, Falcons, and Chargers that could have all been wins hurt that much more.
The good news right now, the Jets and Falcons both appear to be much better than anyone anticipated. The losses are still hard to swallow, but both teams have held their own vs. some NFL powerhouses this season. Additionally, the Deshaun Watson countdown clock has officially started. With three weeks until his debut, Browns fans can start to get excited to see what they have for their future.
The bad news, the Ravens are still in a great position to win the AFC North. The Browns need to win two of their next three vs. the Dolphins, Bills, and Buccaneers which will be no easy feat. And it comes as no surprise to a true Browns fan, injuries continue to be brutal. Let’s hope the bye week will be helpful in getting a couple of crucial guys back like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Denzel Ward, and Wyatt Teller.
This roster continues to look great on paper but still hasn’t figured out how to close games yet. Some of this is likely coaching, some are on the players, but some may be on Andrew Berry who has collected a roster of overvalued players. Let’s look at four decisions made by Berry that may end up being the wrong ones.
Browns: 4 things Andrew Berry may be wrong on
No. 4 – Undervaluing Defensive Tackle
Perhaps the biggest hole on this roster this past offseason was defensive tackle. Cleveland had four capable guys, but none who were solid against stopping the run. To this point, it’s zero shock at all that the defense has struggled against the run, especially up the middle.
With no big bodies to eat up blocks, the undersized backers are constantly covered up, and the undersized defensive tackles continue to get pushed around. I’m not sure if it’s comical or depressing that the Browns are one of the only teams who can’t win games by being able to run the ball, but they seem to lose them all by not being able to stop it.
There were a ton of free agency options for Berry to choose from this offseason who would have been cheap and could have filled a huge gap as a true three-tech nose tackle. Hopefully, Berry realizes this weakness and doesn’t let it happen another season.
No. 3 – Not adding depth at Wide Receiver
Let me start by saying that Amari Cooper is perhaps the best wide receiver the Cleveland Browns have had on their roster since they returned in 1999. They have had some talented guys before, but Cooper is elite. He has great hands, can break away from defenders, and is as good of a route runner as I have ever seen.
However, Berry continues to overvalue the depth of the position behind Cooper. Donovan Peoples-Jones has had a strong season as the second wide receiver. I would love to see a little more consistency from him, but he has made some huge plays and difficult catches in crunch time.
The real issue is at the third wide receiver position. Anthony Schwartz, David Bell, and Michael Woods have all gotten a shot, and so far, none have been great. Schwartz is all speed and no football talent, Bell is as slow as I am (kind of joking), and Woods has struggled to work through injuries.
With the injury to David Njoku and a backup quarterback under center, this team needs a third guy that can be reliable. Not only someone who will catch the ball but has a knack for getting open. Part of me thinks Berry will figure it out this offseason knowing the team will throw more with Watson next year, but this was also a huge issue last year.
Baker Mayfield certainly had his struggles, but he was throwing to a bunch of nobodies which makes the job of the quarterback so much more difficult. It’s not that Berry needs to get a $10 million per year guy this offseason, but Cooper and DPJ need another guy to make this group a serious threat.
No. 2 – Poor Draft Choices
No general manager is going to be perfect when drafting players, but I have to start questioning a few of these picks, and how long Berry has been willing to hold on to them after so many have known they weren’t cut out for the NFL.
Defensive tackle is a great place to start. Berry has drafted Jacob Elliott, Tommy Togiai, and Perrion Winfrey. All three have shown some ability to be an NFL player, but none have developed even close to where they need to be. I’m still giving a pass on Winfrey because he is so young, but why has Elliott been held on for so long after being mediocre at best for three straight seasons?
The wide receiver position is the next big question mark. Berry has taken a shot on these later-round guys with high ceilings and absolutely no one has worked out. Anthony Schwartz is the one who leaves me puzzled. I know he was a third-round pick, but he’s just eating up a roster spot at this point. Trade him for a new pair of gym shorts and get the next guy up.
As I stated before, I understand drafting isn’t about hitting 100 percent of the time. Truthfully, if you can hit 25 to 30 percent of the time after round two, you are probably doing great. My complaint is not being able to move on. I get it, guys need to develop, but this roster is talented enough that we don’t have time to wait and see if Schwartz will ever figure out how to catch a ball.
I must admit, Berry has made strides recently by releasing the first player that he ever drafted, Richard LeCounte. I get it, pride is a big thing in this sport, but hopefully, he learns how to admit mistakes moving forward.
No. 1 – Massive Extensions
I’m a firm believer in extending players who are talented. I remember a time when the Cleveland Browns didn’t have anyone worth extending. There was over a decade where no one player not named Joe Thomas ever got a second contract with the Cleveland Browns. Some of that had to do with people wanting to get away, but you get my point.
Recently with an influx of talent, Myles Garrett, Nick Chubb, Wyatt Teller, Denzel Ward, and David Njoku have all signed big extensions for their position. Three of those five players were totally deserving, but I really struggle with the Ward and Njoku contracts. Remember, the name of this piece is “may be wrong”
Both guys may end up making me look like a fool for saying this out loud, but why did either deserve such massive extensions? Ward has always struggled to stay healthy (2022 being no different) and has had a ton of miscommunication errors so far this year as well.
In his four years in the league, I would say he has played just over a full season of elite football. Not saying he wouldn’t eventually deserve this deal, but I hate being locked up with a guy that plays 10 games per season.
It’s a similar story with Njoku. He has probably 10 catches throughout his career that make top plays of the week. He’s a freak athlete at tight end and has really made steps in improving his run-blocking skills. I love his worth ethic and leadership, but I can’t say I think he earned a four-year deal making him one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league. Similar to Ward, Njoku has a history of missing at least four games per season.
I know there are some politics here and you must extend players to keep them happy, I’m just not sold Berry has picked the right guys yet. But like I said, I hope he proves me wrong.
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