Where does Paul DePodesta rank on our list of the most powerful members of the Browns? (Cleveland.com)
The 16 most powerful people on the Browns
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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.
Who are the most powerful persons in the Browns’ organization?
My list is only 16 long. It includes two women and only four players.
Check it out below. It may surprise you.
1. and 2. Jimmy and Dee Haslam
The co-owners of an NFL team not only sign the checks, they should set the organization’s agenda and culture. Sometimes it takes longer than desired for new ownership to mature into the job. The Haslams are embarking on their 11th year of owning one of Cleveland’s greatest civic assets. The team’s overall record on the field has not been good and there is still a question of what they stand for. But nobody can say they aren’t totally invested in their adopted city and commitment to win.
3. Deshaun Watson
All quarterbacks don’t necessarily rank this high. Their rise in their organization depends on two factors – leading the team to the Promised Land and receiving a contract that automatically empowers them in team decisions. Most accomplish the former before being rewarded with the latter. The Haslams chose the opposite route, and that’s the way it is. Watson exerted his power in Houston with a trade demand largely due to his concern with the direction the Texans’ organization was proceeding. That trade demand tipped the dominoes that changed the future of three organizations, and counting. That was quite an elite power play. Now Watson has to regain his elite play on the field.
4. Paul DePodesta
At NFL meetings this week, the Haslams reaffirmed their commitment to the former MLB analytics guru and one-time Cleveland Indians intern. In a revealing statement, Jimmy said, “The biggest mistake we've made with Paul is not fully embracing his ideas early on.” That probably had to do with going against DePodesta’s recommendations for coach when Haslam hired Hue Jackson and then Freddie Kitchens. Despite presiding over only one winning season in six years in his position as chief strategy officer, DePodesta is as powerful as he’s ever been. Put it this way: In a worst-case scenario where the team bombs again, DePodesta would be the most influential person to recommend for or against an organizational blow-up. And in the highly unlikely event of a blow-up, DePodesta would lead the clean-up and rescue mission.
5. Andrew Berry
The executive vice president and general manager has no real authority in his contract over the coach. Berry’s power stems from his likeability, his collaborative approach, and his earnest work ethic and ethos to do the right thing at all times. At 36, Berry has been the league’s youngest GM now for four years running. He has yet to draft a player to earn a legit Pro Bowl berth, but that day will come. In scouting parlance, his ceiling is very high. By the time his GM career plays out, I can see him as a future team president.
6. Kevin Stefanski
Like Berry, this is a work in progress. The good news for him is Haslam conceded his inexperience as a manager when he was named coach in 2020. Stefanski has a lot of attributes the Haslams like, so they seem perfectly willing to allow him to grow as a head coach. Head coaches in the NFL accrue power commensurate with their won-loss record. He’s two games over .500, which is better than when he was hired.
7. David Jenkins
The executive vice president joined the Browns in 2004 as a business and financial analyst. He was hired two years after original owner Al Lerner passed away, in the final season of the Butch Davis regime. Oh, the things he’s seen. Working his way up, he now holds the positions of chief operating officer of the Browns and also that of the Haslam Sports Group. He is the point man in continued expansion of CrossCountry Mortgage Campus and also will lead the Haslams’ efforts to partner with the city in lakefront development and extensive stadium renovations.
8. J.W. Johnson
The husband of Whitney Haslam, the Haslams’ oldest daughter, Johnson is viewed by some to be the heir-apparent majority owner. That certainly appears his career path way down the road. In the meantime, he is learning the ropes in all business aspects of the Browns organization and the Haslam Sports Group. His background is in communications. He worked 15 years with CBS Sports after earning a broadcast journalism and communications degree from University of Mississippi.
9. Bill Callahan
One of the three best offensive line coaches in football, Callahan is the mastermind of the Browns’ running game and is a firebrand teacher of offensive line techniques. As long as he is on board, the Browns will field one of the league’s top offensive lines, which is especially important to protect their $230 million investment in Watson.
10. Jim Schwartz
If he succeeds in turning the defense into a strength, rather than a weakness, he could launch another shot as an NFL head coach, if he wants that. He’s 56 and might be content to ride the Browns to a place they’ve never been. Because of his history with analytics, it is inescapable to view him as the fallback interim head coach if disaster strikes the 2023 season. That’s not the reason he was hired.
11. Catherine Raiche
Considered the leading contender to be the NFL’s first female GM, she was smart to join Berry in Cleveland because he empowers his assistants much like his mentor Howie Roseman of the Eagles. At the NFL Combine, she said she would be involved in all free agent transactions, trades and draft selections. Berry called her a “rock star … one of the most talented front office executives I have ever had the pleasure of working with.” The Browns have a secondary incentive to see her succeed. If she left for a GM job, the Browns would receive compensatory draft choices after the third round in two consecutive drafts.
12. Myles Garrett
Like Watson, his $125 million contract empowers him like no other player. Garrett has a unique relationship with the media and is able to manipulate favorable coverage no matter what he does. There is power in that.
13. Glenn Cook
Since joining the Browns in personnel in 2016, Cook has risen through three football regimes and now is one of Berry’s two assistant GMs and also vice president of player personnel. A pure football guy and former linebacker at Miami, Cook first worked with Berry as scouting assistants with the Colts. In the last two years he has interviewed for GM jobs with Minnesota and Tennessee. He seems destined for a GM job, which would also net the Browns two compensatory picks if it happens.
14. Charley Hughlett
The Browns long snapper inherits power as the team’s union players rep. Not all player reps choose to wield that power. Former center JC Tretter parlayed the position into a successful run as NFLPA president. In that role, Tretter had immense power in protecting players’ health and safety during the 2020 pandemic.
15. Joel Bitonio
His power lies in his stature as the longest-tenured Browns player who has earned respect off the field as a Walter Payton Man of the Year candidate and on the field as a perennial All-Pro guard. Bitonio has a lot of influence inside the locker room and, thus, with coaches. If there were some team crisis, Bitonio would be among the leaders to guide the team through it.
16. Peter John-Baptiste
More than the team’s highest-ranking PR chief, his title of senior vice president of communications means he speaks for the Haslams and the Browns organization in all high-profile news stories. He is the gateway to access to all the Browns’ bigwigs. As such, he promotes the Haslams’ agenda over national platforms and can leak tidbits to news-hungry reporters on everything from day-to-day transactions to major stories like stadium renovations and lakefront development.
