GM Andrew Berry makes the decision and HC Kevin Stefanski is leading the QB search but Jimmy Haslam holds the key
Generally speaking, being inactive in NFL free agency is a good thing. It means you team is either good enough or your front office is smart enough (or both) to not go shopping for midlevel talent at superstar prices. Even with that in mind, the Cleveland Browns lack of moves so far this offseason, although at least one was seen as good, is surprising.
The Browns do not have a starting-level quarterback, need help on the offensive line as well as other groups and have fans frustrated.
Owner Jimmy Haslam is focused on the new Brook Park Stadium plan but is also the key to what Cleveland does in the upcoming NFL draft. Haslam has gone from a meddling owner to one who just told start DE Myles Garrett that he wouldn’t speak with him. Why do we think that Haslam could decide the Browns draft?
One simple question: Are GM Andrew Berry and HC Kevin Stefanski on the hot seat?
We know fans and media believe they are and should be given the struggles last season but both signed what is believed to be five-year contract extensions last offseason, which started this offseason. Berry and Stefanski are under contract through the end of the 2029 NFL season.
The upcoming draft is considered by most to be a one-stud prospect quarterback draft (Cam Ward) with Shedeur Sanders considered a high-floor, lower-ceiling prospect. Thoughts on Jaxson Dart and the rest of the QB prospects range wildly. Most also believe that this draft class has two unique talents: DE Abdul Carter and WR/CB Travis Hunter.
A team with a quarterback in place would be running to the podium to draft one of those two but Cleveland doesn’t have a quarterback nor do they have the first overall pick to select Ward.
That is where Haslam comes in.
If the Browns owner has made it clear to Berry and Stefanski that they must fix the quarterback position and set the franchise on a path for future success, Sanders is most likely the selection. Even if that does not line up with the team’s grade on the Colorado Buffaloes quarterback, that is the move they would need to make.
If Haslam has made it clear to his GM and head coach that they are secure in their positions through at least the 2026 season, Cleveland’s decision-makers can be free to make the best decision in the NFL draft that they believe in (which could be Sanders but most believe his grade will fall closer to the end of the first round/top of the second).
If the mandate from on high is to win games in 2025, the Browns would have likely been more aggressive in free agency, push to sign Russell Wilson or trade for Kirk Cousins rights way and trade away future draft picks to acquire win-now players. If that is the case, Wilson is still a free agent and Cousins could still be acquired in a deal and any number of trades could still happen.
We will never know what Haslam has laid out as a plan for Berry and Stefanski. We know that he signed them to extensions last offseason and the moves (or lack thereof) that they have made so far. By the end of the offseason, we will have a really good idea of whether or not Berry and Stefanski believe they are on the hot seat or not.
What do you think Haslam has told Berry and Stefanski about their futures? Do only wins matter in 2025? Do you think he’ll try to force the Sanders selection to create hope and a plan for the future despite, most likely, a lower grade? Do you believe that the two Browns bosses are on the hot seat going into 2025?