Browns GM Andrew Berry said it makes no difference when building a team, but he prefers a dome stadium for his players and fans. (TheLandOnDemand)
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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.
WHITE SUPHUR SPRINGS, WV
Takeaways from Browns training camp Day 4 …
As a steady rain pelted the Browns’ practice fields here, Andrew Berry made a rather surprising admission.
“I prefer the dome solution,” the Browns’ GM said. “I prefer to be indoors.”
It was a surprising comment because Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski usually stay neutral on subjects out of their control, such as league scheduling and rules changes. Rarely do they disclose their personal preferences.
But Berry elected to weigh in on the hot topic of whether the Browns should remain on the lakefront in a renovated open-air stadium or move to Brook Park in an indoor stadium.
Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam have offered proposals on both options but have declined, so far, to state their real preference.
The price tags for either: over $1 billion to renovate the present stadium, $2.4 billion to build a dome stadium.
“I think [an indoor stadium is] better for the team,” Berry said. “And I also think being in the Midwest, with the elements and everything, it’s better for our fans as well. It creates a better fan experience late in the year when we’re making those playoff pushes.”
When Berry broke into the NFL as a scouting assistant in Indianapolis, GM Bill Polian built the Colts into a dome-based powerhouse. The Colts were only the second dome-based team to win a Super Bowl. (New Orleans became the third and last team to do it.) Polian openly admitted the Colts were built with their dome stadium in mind.
Perhaps by coincidence, the Browns seem to be leaning toward a dome-style offense (pass-happy, shotgun spread) with a quarterback (Deshaun Watson) whose best NFL years were based in a dome (in Houston).
“I don’t think too much about it,” Berry said. “I really don’t think it’s too much of a difference [building a team for a dome v. outdoor stadium].
“I guess the way I look at it is like, take Patrick Mahomes, take Big Ben [Roethlisberger], take Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre for most of their career. Take Josh Allen. Like, those are some pretty tough elements [they are based in], but they’ve been very pass happy. Take Tom Brady. They were pretty pass happy in New England. So I don’t think there’s a huge difference in that.”
On other topics, Berry:
* Declined to say he would try to sign receiver Amari Cooper to a multi-year contract, but he hinted at it.
The Browns and Cooper avoided a holdout by restructuring the final year of his contract. There are no more years past 2024, however.
“I think everybody here understands what Amari has meant to the organization and our affinity for him,” Berry said. “He’s an excellent player, outstanding human being. He’s a really good professional.
“And, you know, one of the things that’s interesting, with Amari assuming normal health, he has a chance to get to 10,000 yards this year, and he’s probably about a year and a half away from having his – if you look over the course of his career, spending the most time with the Browns relative to other organizations.
“So all of those things are important to us. He’s been a big part of our success last year, and we were glad we were able to resolve the situation.”
* Declined to project a timetable for Nick Chubb’s return to the field.
“Nick, he’s Batman, right? We are incredibly pleased with the work that he’s put in, the progress that he’s made. You know, he still has a little ways to go, but we’re really happy to see where he is as we enter camp and look forward to him to continue to improve the health of the knee,” Berry said.
* Said he would like to keep three quarterbacks on the 53 roster.
Last year, he traded Josh Dobbs for a fifth-round draft pick and entered the regular season with Watson and then-rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson as the only two QBs. The Browns wound up using five quarterbacks and won games with four.
“Generally speaking, we do believe in keeping three as long as we have three that we think are worth keeping,” he said.
* Expressed optimism about the general health of the roster even though Chubb, Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin, Greg Newsome, D’Anthony Bell and Nyheim Hines currently are on injury lists.
“Although we have maybe a higher quantity of players that aren’t full practice than you would typically want, we also feel fortunate that we’re not sitting here, knock on wood, on the first week of camp saying, ‘Hey, such and such, we just lost, because for a season ending injury’ or something.”
Brownie bits
Practice was moved up in the morning and to The Greenbrier Resort’s artificial field because steady rain soaked the grass field. Although the Browns practiced in full pads for the first time, there was only intensive position periods in the 90-minute practice and no team or 7-on-7 periods …
Running back Jerome Ford rejoined the team. Stefanski said his absence was to welcome “a little of bundle of joy … but I’ll let him share the details.” …
Center Brian Allen was placed on injured reserve with a calf injury. The Browns added guard Zack Johnson, who has been on the practice squad of five teams since signed as undrafted free agent in 2022.