After the Browns finished with a 3-14 record, Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Andrew Berry took accountability for a disappointing season.
Berry spoke to the media two days following the Browns' Week 18 loss to the Ravens. As the offseason begins, Berry made it clear that he, head coach Kevin Stefanski and the rest of the organization are committed to putting a winning product on the field in the 2025 season.
"Thinking back a little bit to a year ago, where we were coming off an 11-win season going into the playoffs, our goal has always been to perform at that level or a higher level on a consistent basis," Berry said. "And, in order for us to do that, especially as we look at this season, we really have to look at everything. It's an objective and hard analysis at each position group in the roster. It's looking at what we're doing to put our players in the best position to be successful. It's looking how we practice, how we train to avoid the major losses that we've had in player availability over the past couple years. We really do have to look at everything."
The 2025 offseason will be an important one for Cleveland. Questions surrounding their plans in retaining key members of the 2024 roster, potential free agent acquisitions and how they will approach the 2025 NFL Draft will fill the offseason.
Berry believes he and the rest of the organization can learn from the mistakes made leading up to and during the 2024 season to regain the momentum built during the Browns' playoff run in 2023.
"It's hard to have a crystal ball, but we really will be focused on making the decisions that we think cannot just allow us to have a 10 or 11-win blip, but really allow us to stay there," Berry said.
As the Browns look forward to the offseason and the variety of changes it will bring, here are three takeaways from Berry's end of the season press conference.
Berry shares mindset on core players and key positions
Berry noted the 2024 and 2025 rosters will differ from one another – a normal factor of an NFL offseason. With opportunities to re-sign or extend existing players' contracts, pick up talent in the NFL Draft or acquire veteran players via trade or free agency, the Browns will have several opportunities to improve their roster going into next season.
Berry said he wants to find a balance between investing in both the short-term and long-term success of the Browns. Yet, he does not envision an offseason where the team moves on from "a ton of core players."
One of the players Berry mentioned is DE Myles Garrett, who followed up his 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award with another dominant season. Garrett finished the 2024 season with 14 sacks, the second-most in the NFL this season, while adding 84 quarterback pressures, the third-most in the league.
Garrett has spent each of his eight NFL seasons in Cleveland, and Berry expects that trend to continue for the remainder of the star defensive end's career.
"In terms of Myles, my anticipation and expectation is that he'll have a direct ticket from Cleveland to Canton at the end of this year and I expect him to be here and retire a Brown, quite frankly," Berry said.
Another player Berry was asked about was RB Nick Chubb, who returned in Week 7 of the 2024 season from a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season. Chubb played eight games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending foot fracture in Week 15. The seven-year veteran finished the season with 332 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Berry praised Chubb's commitment to the Browns and the city of Cleveland. With an expiring contract, Berry said that they would use the offseason to evaluate Chubb's future with the franchise.
"I think everybody in this room knows how much respect we have for Nick and how much appreciation we have for not just his exploits on the field, but who he is in the locker room and who he is as a person," Berry said. "It's always a challenging situation when one of your cornerstone players, their contract is up. That's probably maybe a little bit of a different situation this year relative to last, where there is maybe perhaps a little bit less control on the club side with it. Those are all decisions that we do have to work through in the next several weeks. We love Nick. He's going to be a Ring of Honor player for us. And we know that in terms of the short term that's something that, quite honestly, we just have to work through over the next several weeks."
Another key position Berry touched on was left tackle, a position at which four different players earned a start this season. Berry said LT Jedrick Wills Jr.'s future with the team would be determined over the offseason as a player with an expiring deal. Wills played five games in 2024 before he was placed on the injured reserve Dec. 7 with a knee injury.
Second-year T Dawand Jones made 10 appearances this season, starting eight games before his season came to an end after he suffered a leg fracture in Week 11 that required surgery. Jones made four starts at right tackle before switching to the left side. His first game at left tackle in Week 8 against the Ravens was the first time in his NFL career he's played on the left side. While the Browns will further evaluate their options at left tackle, Berry was impressed with the improvement Jones showed while playing the position this season.
"With Dawand, we did feel like he was actually hitting his stride before he got injured in the middle of the year. It's funny because Kevin was like, 'Hey, let's just kick him over to left tackle during one of the practice weeks.' And then we had the injury, and it was like, 'Well I guess he's got to play the next week,'" Berry said. "I think Dawand deserves credit because it's really the first time in his career that he's played at that spot with probably minimal preparation. And he acclimated pretty quickly. How that spot looks going into 2025, it's probably too early to tell, but we did feel like it was good to get him some game experience at that position."
Draft position offers the Browns flexibility
For the first time since the 2021 NFL Draft, the Browns are in possession of a first-round draft pick. With the No. 2 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland will have the flexibility to either select one of the nation's top college prospects or trade out of the pick.
"I hate how we got here, but with having the second pick in the draft – whether we select a player or use it to maximize in another way – it gives us an opportunity to really pivot if we need to," Berry said.
The Browns currently hold nine draft picks, giving them the opportunity to meet team needs. Berry and his staff have worked throughout the season to evaluate college prospects who could make both a short- and long-term impact on the team's goals of getting back into the playoffs.
With the 2025 NFL Draft scheduled to begin April 24, Berry and his staff have over three months to finalize their evaluations of prospects. The Browns will have the opportunity at the NFL Combine, taking place in Indianapolis beginning Feb. 27, to see and interview some of the top players in the draft.
"We're at a good spot. We always work ahead with the draft; it's like a year-and-a-half thing for us. We've obviously finished up the college scouting season now that almost all the college games are done," Berry said. "Obviously, we've got a long way to go before we know the draft class intimately, but fortunately those are decisions that we'll have to make at the end of April."
Berry provides injury updates on three key players
As the Browns enter the offseason and players get the chance to recover from the grind of playing in the NFL, Berry gave updates regarding three key members of the team.
QB Deshaun Watson, who suffered a tear in his Achilles in Week 7, experienced a setback in his recovery. As part of the end-of-season routine, Watson – as well as all other members of the roster – took part in a final physical on Sunday, Jan. 5. Watson told the team medical staff that "something didn't feel right" regarding his Achilles injury.
Berry said it was "too early to tell" whether the setback would prevent Watson from participating in training camp and onward. However, the setback will extend the recovery process for Watson. Berry added that he was unsure whether the injury would require an additional surgery but did not rule out anything.
In addition to Watson, Berry was asked about LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah's progression through a neck injury he sustained in Week 8 against the Ravens. Owusu-Koramoah was placed on the injured reserve the following week.
Owusu-Koramoah finished his season with 61 total tackles, three sacks and an interception. Berry said that Owusu-Koramoah was still working through the injury and that the team would provide updates when available.
The Browns defense took another hit, as rookie DT Mike Hall Jr. left Week 18 against the Ravens in the third quarter with a knee injury. Berry said Hall received an MRI for the injury and the recovery process is likely to take "months."
"Surgery certainly is a possibility, but he should return and perform. With these longer-term injuries, it is a little bit more variable, and I don't want to lead you astray," Berry said.
