Andrew Berry has made his fair share of questionable decisions in his six years as the Cleveland Browns' general manager. He's not afraid to swing for the fences when he sees value, but some of his gambles haven't paid off.
Berry comes from the Philadelphia Eagles, meaning he probably learned a lot from Howie Roseman. The Eagles' GM has a reputation for turning other teams' discarded players into gold, and Berry has often tried to do the same in Berea.
Considering that, Browns analyst Jonathan Peterlin wouldn't be so shocked if Berry looked at Tyreek Hill's departure from the Miami Dolphins as an opportunity. That's how he learned things work during his days in Philadelphia.
"Andrew Berry thinks anytime you can get any talented player on a discount, whether that's because of things that they have off the field or anything otherwise, he looks at that as an advantage," Peterlin said on 92.3 The Fan. "That's how he operates, and, by the way, that is the Howie Roseman way of operating, too."
The Tyreek Hill sweepstakes is a trap the Browns should avoid
Hill is coming off a major injury, has plenty of baggage off the field, and wasn't much of a factor in Miami's passing game after leading the NFL in receiving yards three years ago.
He might be damaged goods entering his age-32 season, and even if the Browns plan on targeting a veteran wide receiver in free agency, there's simply no way they should take that risk with Hill.
Spotrac projects Hill to land a short-term, prove-it contract in the range of $14 million per year. Most likely, he'll draw some interest from contending teams who feel they're a big-play threat away from becoming a legitimate Super Bowl contender. He's far less likely to land with a rebuilding team at this point in his career, especially a team like the Browns, who will enter the new league year with limited salary cap flexibility.
Hill used to be the league's deadliest weapon. He was a big-play waiting to happen on every dropback. That's no longer the case, and as much as the Browns desperately need talent at the wide receiver position, they shouldn't aim for Band-Aids or short-term solutions.
Cleveland will be in a position to land a true No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL Draft, and there should be other cheaper and less problematic options in free agency or the trade market.