INDIANAPOLIS – As Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry begins a week at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine gathering information about potential prospects, it's the next stepping stone of the offseason.

Berry and the Browns front office will use the week to evaluate talent and meet with potential prospects as they inch closer to the 2025 NFL Draft in April.

"Indianapolis always an exciting time for us," Berry said. "Particularly this year where we go into the offseason with what will likely be 11 picks – including No. 2 overall – and our first time in three years with a pick in top 50. So, we're looking forward to getting to know these 300-plus guys in Indianapolis over the next week and continue to do more work over the next few months to see who becomes a Brown in April."

Berry met with the media on Tuesday and covered a variety of topics, from reiterating they have no interest in trading DE Myles Garrett to the outlook with the No. 2 pick and more.

Here are three takeaways from his time with the media.

Nick Chubb to hit free agent market

RB Nick Chubb is set to be an unrestricted free agent when free agency officially begins on March 12 with the new league year. Chubb, who was taken in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Browns and is a four-time Pro Bowler, has been a foundational piece of the Browns running back room since he was drafted.

After sustaining a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season, Chubb returned in Week 7 of 2024. He played in eight games, totaling 102 carries for 332 yards and three touchdowns. However, in Week 15, he suffered a broken foot that ended his season early. In his seven seasons with the Browns, Chubb has totaled 1,340 carries for 6,843 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns. He also has 128 receptions for 1,042 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

As the Browns work through their roster and make decisions at multiple positions, Berry said he expects Chubb to hit the free agent market.

"I would say at this point that we do expect Nick to hit the market," Berry said. "Obviously, his contract is up this year. We'll meet with his reps and everything like that, but it's something that obviously we need to work through over the next couple weeks."

Outlook on the No. 2 pick

There are a number of names circulating around the No. 2 pick and who could be in the conversation for the Browns at No. 2, ones that could fill specific needs for the Browns.

As they continue through the offseason and evaluate talent at the combine, Berry said there are different ways they can take advantage of having the No. 2 overall pick to help push the Browns forward in the direction they want to go.

"What we'll look to do is maximize the No. 2 as a resource," Berry said. "And that's whether we select a quarterback, select a non-quarterback or move the asset for something else. All of those decisions are fortunately ones that we don't have to make for a couple of weeks, but we'll work through a bunch of different scenarios. And really it starts with just getting to know the prospects. And once we feel like we have a good feel for the prospects, then we can make some strategic decisions."

As the Berry and the Browns work through their potential options, Berry said at this stage in the offseason, the trade market for top picks hasn't quite surfaced. He added it's also early in the evaluation of the prospects, and Berry believes that over the next several months as teams familiarize themselves with prospects, the visibility of the trade market at the top of the draft will appear.

When asked about being open to trading the No. 2 pick, Berry clarified that it's still early in the process and discussions for that kind of consideration.

"But I'm open to anything that would help us improve the team," Berry said. "But none of those decisions have been made."

Deshaun Watson's injury update

The Browns announced in January QB Deshaun Watson underwent a second surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon rupture.

Watson initially tore the tendon during the Browns' Week 7 game against the Bengals on Oct. 20 and had his first surgery occurred on Oct. 25. Following the end of the season during exit physicals, Watson shared with the medical staff of discomfort after rolling his ankle in Miami. MRI results demonstrated a re-rupture to his Achilles tendon.

"So obviously, Deshaun re-injured his Achilles," Berry said. "Unfortunately, he turned his foot and ankle area that caused the re-tear during the normal stages of the recovery process. I know there has been a lot of speculation and everything out there. But there was nothing nefarious, just an unfortunate accident. So, our focus is on making sure that he gets healthy and can be back to normal."

Berry added while it's too early in his recovery process to outline an exact timeline for Watson's return to the field, but said Watson will miss "significant time."

"How far that spans into 2025, I can't give you a specific right now," Berry said. "He's shown to be a fast healer, and we're going to try and be as thoughtful and aggressive with the recovery process. But that's something that I can predict at the current moment."