The Cleveland Browns hadn’t been in a position to add an influx of young talent for years.
Acquiring Deshaun Watson proved to be a disaster for roster-building purposes, as his contract took a big chunk of the salary cap, and they needed to give up multiple draft picks to get him.
But finally holding some valuable selections, the Browns couldn’t afford to drop the ball in the 2025 NFL Draft.
It was a perfect opportunity to add some much-needed youth to their ranks.
Notably, that’s why analyst Jonathan Peterlin believes this might be the end of the line for general manager Andrew Berry.
Peterlin claimed that fans will expect more from this crop of rookies than they normally do with first-year players, and that could put Berry’s job in jeopardy.
“That’s why we’ve been saying for a while now that this is, for Andrew Berry, this is your redemption draft in many ways. You have to hit, and you have to hit early in a way that is not typically asked of a GM when they make a selection. We usually don’t ask this much Year 1 out of some of these rookies, and I feel like we’re going to,” Peterlin said, via 92.3 The Fan.
Berry’s track record in the NFL Draft hasn’t been flattering, and the Browns are coming off a three-win season in part as a result of that.
Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski each signed a contract extension the prior offseason, but that might not be enough to stick around if they fail to live up to expectations again.
It’s hard to blame Stefanski for last year’s shortcomings, as he did what he could with the roster he was given.
The same cannot be said of Berry, who in his five years as GM has yet to make a positive impression on the fan base.
