Odell Beckham Jr. had the last laugh in a messy divorce from the Browns. (Los Angeles Times)
Upon further review, Browns GM Andrew Berry had a better season than his team
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Third in a series reviewing the Browns’ 2021 season …
Over the course of a typical NFL season, a general manager could make upwards of 200 player transactions.
They come in three phases.
Phase One starts with the beginning of the new transaction season in March. This phase sets the foundation for the new season’s roster and includes free agents (coming and going), trades and the draft.
Phase Two occurs at the roster cutdown in September and includes waiver pickups, trades and – more importantly than ever – stocking the practice squad.
Phase Three includes reactions to injuries, roster adversity and trade and contract extensions during the regular season.
Let’s review how Browns GM Andrew Berry fared with his primary transactions in all three phases in 2021.
Phase One
1. Re-signed receiver KhaDarel Hodge, receiver Rashard Higgins, linebacker Malcolm Smith, and kicker Cody Parkey.
All were reasonable, low-risk and low-cost moves. Hodge was a surprise cut before the regular season and went on to have a typical season (for him) with the Lions as a fifth receiver (13 catches, 157 yards, no TDs) and core special teamer. Higgins came back for a guaranteed one-year deal for $2.377 million. While his snap count was similar to previous seasons, his catch rate (51.1 percent) and touchdowns (one) were below his career norms. Nobody can explain the enigma of Higgins’ annual disappearances. Smith came back for a second one-year stint under the NFL minimum ($1.05 million) and was reliable as an emergency starter for six games and as a backup. Parkey earned a return engagement after a solid 2020, but lost the job in camp to Chase McLaughlin, partly because of a groin injury, and kicked in only one game for the Saints.
2. Signed defensive ends Takk McKinley and Jadeveon Clowney.
Failing to land J.J. Watt in free agency, Berry eschewed the highest-priced ends and chose a two-for-the-price-of-one strategy. McKinley ($4.25 million) and Clowney ($9 million) roughly equaled the payouts in the first year of multi-year contracts given by the Jets to Carl Lawson ($14.3 millions) and by the Bengals to Trey Hendrickson ($12.75 million). McKinley and Clowney combined for 11.5 sacks and one forced fumble. McKinley's future is clouded by an Achilles tendon injury., while Clowney should be re-signed. Lawson missed the Jets season with a ruptured Achilles tendon in training camp. Hendrickson set a Bengals record with 14 sacks and had three forced fumbles.
3. Signed safety John Johnson and nickel back Troy Hill.
After some early struggles in the Joe Woods defense, Johnson finished with a solid year (fourth in tackles, tied for first with three interceptions and had a forced fumble). Hill was fifth in tackles and added two sacks. He was an improvement as the starting nickel back, though he missed five games with injuries or COVID.
4. Released defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and end Adrian Clayborn.
The popular Richardson made only seven starts for the Vikings and posted five-year lows in tackles and sacks. Clayborn did not land with another team.
5. Signed tackle Malik Jackson and linebacker Anthony Walker.
Jackson’s 10th NFL season might be his last. Walker led the Browns in tackles by 39 and may have earned another one-year deal.
6. Signed defensive tackle Malik McDowell.
Berry stepped out of character to give the troubled McDowell a new life in the NFL after four years out of football. It was a low-risk move and McDowell made Berry look like a genius at times, earning a starting job from Game 1. The fact McDowell stayed “eligible” the whole season was a surprise to many. Alas, McDowell relapsed into strange behavior this week. He was arrested on charges of indecent public exposure, resisting arrest with violence and aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer. He likely will not be invited back.
7. The 2021 draft
Cornerback Greg Newsome (first round) and hybrid linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (second) were gems and look to be defensive cornerstone players through their rookie contracts. Receiver Anthony Schwartz (third) has the redeeming quality of pure speed but needs a lot of development as an NFL receiver and returner. None of the other picks – offensive tackle James Hudson, defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, linebacker Tony Fields, safety Richard LeCounte, receiver/returner Demetric Felton – made significant contributions. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t be developed as contributors in the future.
Phase Two
8. Signed to practice squad defensive tackle Sheldon Day, defensive end Porter Gustin, defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo, quarterback Nick Mullens.
All of these players made modest contributions. Mullens had an impressive emergency start against the Raiders with Mayfield and Case Keenum sidelined by COVID, but the Browns blew the game at the end and lost, 16-14.
9. Released offensive tackle Greg Senat.
Throughout the minicamp season, Senat appeared to be a Bill Callahan project with some potential as a top backup tackle. His camp was derailed by a knee injury and he was released at the start of the season. He wound up with the Colts and Jets.
Phase Three
10. Lost receiver Davion Davis from the practice squad.
Davis came out of nowhere in camp with two impressive games in the preseason. The Browns knew he’d be suspended for the first two games in regular season because of a past personal conduct offense. He was waived and then signed to the practice squad in Week 3. The Texans poached him to their regular roster in October. Davis had only one catch for 17 yards in two games before going on injured reserve. Had the Browns kept him on their active roster, he might have been able to help when the receiving corps was bared to the bones.
11. Released receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
FOX insider Jay Glazer disclosed after the fact that Beckham sought to get out of Cleveland from the day he was traded by the Giants to the Browns in 2019. He never bought in. His frustration with quarterback Baker Mayfield’s inability to mesh him into the offense and get the ball to him boiled over in a messy public divorce that clearly rattled the locker room and fractured trust in Mayfield. Berry’s failure was in not heading off this season-altering event, either by talking Beckham off the ledge or satisfying his desire to be traded. Of course, Beckham’s recovery from ACL surgery in the 2020 offseason made a trade difficult. But I’m not sure how active Berry was in drumming up a market for Beckham prior to the 2021 season. I guess Berry did well to save the team a few million dollars on the salary cap by manipulating his contract and helping to steer him to the Rams. Berry inherited the Beckham problem from John Dorsey. It was probably a greater failure on the part of coach Kevin Stefanski and Mayfield that it came to such a calamitous exit. In nine games with the Rams, Beckham scored six touchdowns, including one in a wild-card win which earned Beckham a $500,000 bonus. He had seven touchdowns in 29 games with the Browns.
12. Extended the contracts of guard Joel Bitonio and guard Wyatt Teller.
Bitonio was extended three years for $48 million and Teller four years for $56.8 million. The timing suggested Berry used cap savings from the Beckham exodus to get both deals done. Together, they fortified the belief that the Browns will remain a run-oriented offense under Stefanski. The deals also added to the conspicuousness of no extension talks with the Mayfield camp.
13. Waived punter Jamie Gillan, signed punter Dustin Colquitt.
Gillan’s second positive COVID test gave the Browns impetus to seek a replacement for a player they had soured on. Colquitt’s timely release from the Falcons was a godsend, but the Browns will be in the market for a permanent punter now.
