Myles Garrett rumors, Deshaun Watson contract and the QB class in the NFL draft have the Browns GM stuck
No one is under more immense pressure in the NFL this offseason than Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry. Considering how the team went 3-14, the trade for Deshaun Watson failing and star defensive end Myles Garrett requesting a trade, Berry is in a tough spot. Even if Berry is able to somehow able to fix some current issues, for some fans and media it will never be enough.
When Berry was hired by the team in 2020, he came in as one of the youngest GMs in the league at 32. In his first year with the team, he was able to construct a roster (something previous general manager John Dorsey couldn’t do) that won 11 games which led to a playoff berth. The team had holes that needed to be addressed and they were addressed in an aggressive manner, something that hasn’t been seen before since the team has returned.
After the team missed the playoffs in 2021, Berry decided to take an aggressive swing and trade for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (who had a ton of off-the-field issues). The reason? The team didn’t have the confidence that quarterback Baker Mayfield could take the team where they needed to go.
At the time, an upgrade was needed but taking a swing on someone like Watson ended up being the wrong decision. However, if he chose to stick with Mayfield and pay him a deal that he didn’t earn, it would not have ended well either, even if the team would have been better it wouldn’t have taken the next step. The move was met with backlash, and to be truthful there are some fans that are still resentful towards Berry and judge him solely based on that one move.
Fast forward to now, the team doesn’t have a quarterback, the team doesn’t have a clear direction, and your star defensive end wants out. Not ideal.
Berry is in a situation where he doesn’t come out the winner in any situation. If he trades Garrett, he will likely be even more hated than before. But if Garrett doesn’t get his trade request and he could potentially sit out (which would be a bad idea from a financial standpoint) then that makes things even worse.
Free agency won’t be easy as well, considering how he has to fill holes at certain positions. Cleveland currently owns the #2 pick in the draft this year but many question whether there is a franchise-level quarterback to be taken there.
Berry has his work cut out for him but the immense pressure he is under will not have him coming out as a winner in the end. Then again, he helped put himself in that lose-lose situation.