Andrew Berry returns to Browns as NFL's youngest GM. (SI.com)
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from conclusion of Browns GM search …
Youth be served
When Browns Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta wrestled football operations from departed GM John Dorsey a month ago and was named the point man of the search committee for coach and general manager, the chalk-favorites to fill those offices were Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry.
Young Ivy Leaguers, like DePodesta.
And here we are.
Berry, 32, played defensive back at Harvard. He will be formally announced as Browns general manager and executive vice president on Tuesday. He will be introduced next week.
Berry is the youngest GM in the NFL and reportedly the youngest ever to hold the title. He was a Browns vice president in the ill-fated DePodesta-Sashi Brown tear-down regime, got nudged aside in the Dorsey regime, and triumphantly returns to the club after one year as a vice president of football operations with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Berry was chosen after Minnesota Vikings assistant GM George Paton removed himself from consideration on Friday. The only other candidate interviewed was Monti Ossenfort, director of college scouting of the New England Patriots.
Stefanski, 37, played defensive back at Penn. He was named Browns coach on Jan. 13, beating out Josh McDaniels and Robert Saleh at the end of the search. Stefanski is the third-youngest head coach in the NFL behind the Rams’ Sean McVay (34) and the Bengals’ Zac Taylor (36).
DePodesta is 47, but doesn’t look much older than when he was named general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004 at the age of 31. He played wide receiver at Harvard.
So DePodesta finalized the “alignment” he sought when owner Jimmy Haslam put him in charge.
It is the fifth football management team hired by Haslam in his eight years of ownership of the Browns.
The longest time served by a coach was 40 games by Hue Jackson (3-36-1).
The longest time served by a GM was 36 games by Dorsey (13-22-1).
The young and the restless
This youthful management team takes over one of the youngest football rosters in the NFL.
After the 2019 Season of Great Expectations imploded because of mistakes and lack of discipline (on and off the field), it was thought that the job required an experienced coach to rein in the talent on the roster.
But DePodesta tapped a coach and general manager with no experience in their new roles.
Second time a charm?
Berry clearly was not the lead decision-maker in the regime that oversaw seasons of 1-15 in 2016 and 0-16 in 2017. But he is tainted with the dismal record of two of the worst drafts in Browns history.
Those NFL drafts produced quarterbacks Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott, Mitch Trubisky, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.
The Browns wound up with Cody Kessler and DeShone Kizer. They also traded for Brock Osweiler, ostensibly to acquire a second-round pick.
The only Browns currently under contract from those two drafts are defensive end Myles Garrett, tight end David Njoku and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. Two others are undrestricted free agents, linebacker Joe Schobert and wide receiver Rashard Higgins.
In those two drafts, the Browns traded down from No. 2 (Wentz) to No. 8 (offensive tackle Jack Conklin) and then from No. 8 to No. 15 (receiver Corey Coleman) in 2016; and traded down from No. 12 (Watson) to No. 25 (safety Jabrill Peppers) in 2017.