Can the Browns turn around an 8-26 team in one offseason?
On January 5, owner Jimmy Haslam said to get back to him in 120 days.
The day Haslam fired head coach Kevin Stefanski and retained GM Andrew Berry, he outlined the immediate tasks at hand.
“Let me just say this – the next 120 days are crucial for the organization, OK?” Haslam said standing in the atrium of Browns HQ. “We’ve got to find the right head coach. We’ve got to be efficient again in free agency. We have 10 draft picks, including two number ones. We have four of the top four picks in the top three rounds, OK?
“And we’ve got to get really good players who are really good people again. We’ve got to be opportunistic if trade opportunities come along. We are solely focused on having a great 120 days so we can start winning games around here.”
Tuesday marked the end of the “crucial” 120-day time period set forth by Haslam.
So how did the organization do?
1. The coaching hire
In a move that signalled more authority for Andrew Berry, Haslam appointed his GM to conduct the coaching search. It would be Berry’s first head coach hire as an NFL executive.
Stefanski coordinators Jim Schwartz and Tommy Rees were the first to interview on January 8. Schwartz received a second interview. Rees did not.
Immediately, fired Baltimore coach John Harbaugh was a natural person of interest.
The Browns did talk with him via phone to gauge his interest. Eventually, it was conveyed to teams that Harbaugh would command $20 million a year over five years. That wasn’t a hangup with Haslam. But Harbaugh wanted final say on personnel, and that wouldn’t jibe with Haslam’s desire to strengthen, rather than weaken, Berry’s grip on the GM job.
It was also conveyed via Harbaugh’s reps, per a league source, that Harbaugh wanted any interested teams to conduct their Rooney Rule-required two in-person interviews with minority candidates before he would even agree to an interview. The Giants were OK with that; the Browns didn’t feel a good vibe and withdrew from pursuing Harbaugh.
The first external candidates interviewed via zoom were Dan Pitcher, Cincinnati offensive coordinator, and Aden Durde, Seattle defensive coordinator. Neither received a second interview.
Other candidates to receive initial zoom interviews were Baltimore offensive coordinator Todd Monken, L.A. Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, Jacksonville offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, fired Miami head coach Mike McDaniel, L.A. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, and Washington run game coordinator/running backs coach Anthony Lynn.
Eventually, McDaniel, Udinski and Minter withdrew from consideration. Lynn was a very late entrant and did not receive a second interview.
After a unique process that included take-home essay questions, Scheelhaase and Monken joined Schwartz as the three finalists, pitting two offensive-minded coaches v. the Browns three-year defensive coordinator.
Scheelhaase, 35, with only two years in the NFL on Sean McVay’s Rams staff, ultimately was considered a year away from being a safer choice.
On January 28 – 23 days after the search began — Monken was given the job in a move that was surprising, if not stunning, at the time. At 59, he became the third-oldest coaching hire in Browns history and the oldest first-time head coach in the NFL.
Schwartz was so outraged by being passed over that he resigned as defensive coordinator. The Browns did not expect that reaction from Schwartz. In subsequent conversations with sources, it appeared the Browns did not thoroughly vet Schwartz’s feelings on staying on as coordinator if bypassed for the head coaching job.
Grade: B+. The loss of Schwartz might have been circumvented with better communication.
2. Free agency
Early on, Berry made a few points about his roster-building intentions.
On January 5, he said, “The offense is going to have significant investment this offseason.” He also stated, “The offensive line, that’s a position group that I do imagine will have a fair amount of turnover as we go into 2026.”
At Monken’s intro press conference, Berry emphasized he intended to make the roster younger and would not be signing “a bunch of mid-30s veterans to put us over the top, so to speak.”
And then on the verge of free agency at the NFL Combine in late February, Berry asserted the chance of being “a little bit more aggressive [in free agency] than last year, but it’ll be targeted and opportunistic … I think realistically we may be one more offseason away from being hyper-aggressive in [free agency].”
When free agency started, Berry burst out of the gate and agreed to terms with veteran offensive linemen Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins, and traded for right tackle Tytus Howard. His other big move was signing linebacker Quincy Williams to take the place of departed Devin Bush.
Berry added blocking tight end Jack Stoll, safety Daniel Thomas, receiver/returner Tylan Wallace, defensive tackle Kalia Davis, and cornerback Myles Bryant; and re-signed offensive guard Teven Jenkins, punter Corey Bojorquez, defensive tackle Sam Kamara, linebacker Julian Okwara, tight end Blake Whiteheart, and defensive backs Tre Avery and D’Angelo Ross.
Grade: B+. By not trading for or signing a free agent receiver of significance, Berry couldn’t camouflage receiver as a draft priority. The same was true of offensive left tackle and center – two obvious holes left after free agency.
3. The draft
Berry saved his best work for last.
A trade-down from No. 6 to No. 9 netted the Browns Kansas City’s picks in the third and fifth rounds. Those would result in further deals and more assets.
Berry resisted a second trade-down with Dallas to No. 12 and used the No. 9 selection on Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano. Significantly, the Browns immediately named the versatile Fano the left tackle.
Later, he resisted trade offers at No. 24 and used that pick on Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion.
The second day of the draft might have been the best of the weekend for the Browns.
Berry doubled-down at receiver and chose Washington’s Denzel Boston at No. 39, and then traded up 12 notches from No. 70 to select Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at No. 58 in the second round.
By the way, the original trade with Kansas City eventually netted – after further trades – Fano, offensive tackle Austin Barber (third round), and two fourth-round picks in the 2027. The Browns were the only team to acquire more than one future pick in 2027.
Berry rounded out his draft with 10 picks, including a possible starting center in Parker Brailsford and a tantalizing, freakishly-athletic, developmental QB prospect, Taylen Green.
Grade: A.
By the end of Haslam’s “crucial” 120 days, Berry assuaged concerns about past draft failures and provided his new head coach with a completely revamped and fortified offensive line and two highly-rated rookie receivers.
What Berry accomplished in 120 days might not vault the Browns into playoff contention in 2026; there’s still uncertainty at quarterback. But it certainly established Berry – in the first offseason removed from the auspices of chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta – as the No. 1 man in charge of the organization’s football fortunes.