Browns GM Andrew Berry is preparing for his second draft in a row without a first-round pick. (TheLandOnDemand)
Andrew Berry still not saying whether Perrion Winfrey faces team discipline for latest transgression
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Browns pre-draft press conference …
GM Andrew Berry concluded his opening remarks with this line:
“So with that, I'll open it up for questions for everybody's favorite press conference where you ask questions and I barely answer them, but we'll try and do our best this year.”
Yes, it was another virtuoso Berry performance.
Winfrey still discipline-free
Berry offered no insight on future action on young defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, who faces a misdemeanor charge of assault in Harris County (TX) for causing a woman acquaintenance bodily harm.
Winfrey has another court day on June 1. Berry would not say if Winfrey attended the first week of voluntary offseason conditioning.
“That's a pending legal matter,” Berry said. “I won't comment specifically on that other than to say that Perion understands what really our expectations are for all players, whether they're on the field in our building or away from the building. But with it being a pending legal matter, I'm not going to comment too much on it.”
Winfrey had a rocky rookie season and was made inactive after at least one undisclosed team violation. Will the Browns consider Winfrey’s total body of work in that regard when determining any action against him?
“Like I said, I'm not going to get into the specifics, but we'll deal with that matter internally and make the appropriate decision for the organization,” Berry said.
My guess: If the Browns draft a defensive tackle with their first pick, Winfrey will be gone. If they don’t, he stays.
Keeping versatile
After acquiring 12 new veteran players in free agency and trade, you would think the odds of eight draft picks fitting in on the final roster are slim. That would seem to free up Berry to trade some picks into next season, or to move up, or to acquire another veteran player.
“I don't know that I ever feel really settled in terms of addressing needs,” Berry said. “Ideally you want to be in a position as a roster where you're not relying on rookies to have major roles. Now look, every roster in the NFL will have strengths and weaknesses.
“There's no perfect roster and there are going to be spots where maybe you rely a little bit more on younger players than organizationally you desire, but we really want to make sure that as we're maybe in this life cycle of the team, we're in a position where younger players can maybe integrate into the NFL and develop in the NFL at probably maybe more of an appropriate pace.”
Quarterback watch
According to walterfootball.com, the Browns have used three of their “30 visits” on getting more acquainted with quarterbacks Jake Haener of Fresno State, Dorian Thompson-Robinson of UCLA, and Clayton Tune of Houston. Each is projected to go off the board in the fourth through sixth rounds.
Berry did not dispute the players have visited Berea. It’s probable the Browns will add a fourth quarterback to join Deshaun Watson, Josh Dobbs and Kellen Mond.
“So I guess, number one, 30 visits in general for us is about accumulating more information,” Berry said. “I think that teams use them in different ways, and for us as we think through the, what usually ends up being about 125 guys on [our draft] board, we just want to make sure that we have everything on all the guys because you just don't know what the possibilities are going to be.
“Certainly with quarterbacks, we like to spend a lot of time with them and we try and do that appropriately over the course of the spring in different venues. To your specific question about adding to the room, it's the most important position in sports and no different than adding depth and competition at receiver or D-line or corner or linebacker or offensive line. We're going to do the same thing at quarterback.”
Defensive end watch
With only five defensive ends on the roster, look for the Browns to add at least one in the draft and possibly one from the free agent market.
“I would expect us to add more than that,” Berry said. “I mean look, we're going to get to [a roster of ] 90 – [they’re at 73] -- eventually. I can't say if that's going to be on draft weekend or in May or in August, but I would expect us to add to that room.”
Linebackers healing
Berry gave an optimistic update on linebackers who finished 2022 with injuries – Anthony Walker (torn quad), Jacob Phillips (torn pectoral muscle), Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (foot sprain) and Sione Takitaki (torn ACL).
“They've done a phenomenal job with their rehab,” Berry said. “We feel like they're all pacing well and appropriately in the recovery from their injuries and think they're going to be ready to go. And that being said, look, we'll always look to add competition and that room's not excluded from that.
“Certainly there is historically a little bit of variance in terms of how guys do come back from injuries. We're not naive to that fact, but that all being said, with the progress that those individuals have made, we're very pleased at this point in time.”
