Austin Hooper and Andrew Berry's worst 4 free agent signings

Andrew Berry is entering his sixth year as the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, which means there is plenty of data to analyze his tendencies during the offseason.

One particular area of interest is Berry's strategy for signing free agents, as the new league year is set to start on March 10. Looking back at the last five off-seasons, it's clear to see that the Browns are always active in free agency under Berry.

The problem is that Berry has signed several players that have been awful for the Browns when they were scheduled to play a vital role for the team. Below are five of the worst free agent signings of Berry's tenure as GM.

Austin Hooper

After the Browns agreed to make Kevin Stefanski the head coach of the team back in 2020, it was easy to see that the team was going to want to address their needs to fit his offensive system. Enter Austin Hooper.

Hooper was seen as the top tight end that the Browns could sign. However, Hooper couldn't have been a bigger bust. During his two year tenure he had less than 800 receiving yards, leading the Browns to release him with two years remaining on his deal.

John Johnson III

Johnson was viewed as the top signing of the 2021 free agent class. He was a dynamic, playmaking safety for several seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.

However, the Browns were unable to get anywhere close to the same player. Instead they got a player who was constantly out of position, failed to give consistent effort, and was such a bad fit he was released with a year still on his deal.

Juan Thornhill

After the disaster that was Johnson was on the playing field, Berry looked to fix his mistake and brought in Juan Thornhill. Thornhill was a young player that showed a lot of promise for the Kansas City Chiefs. he projected to be a true center field safety that could help the team. Once again, this couldn't have been further from the truth.

Thornhill finished with zero interceptions, zero fumbles forced or recovered, and only four passes defended. On top of the poor play, he was hardly able to stay on the field, only playing in 22 games in his two year career.

Jadeveon Clowney (his second stint)

Jadeveon Clowney had one really good year for the Browns. It's easy to see why the team decided to bring him back for a second year. Unfortunately for the team, it blew up in their face. By the end of the year, Clowney was straight up refusing to enter games.

He was vocal about not liking the fact that the Browns were prioritizing Myles Garrett over him. The tension was real and he turned into an extreme issue within the locker room.

Taven Bryan

In a year where the Browns needed help at the defensive tackle position, Berry decided to sign Taven Bryan, a former first round draft pick that didn't work out for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The logic was there, as Bryan was one of the most athletic defensive tackles to hit the market.

The problem is that Bryan was not meant to be an every down player and was constantly pushed around. In a year where Berry's faith in Bryan to be an every down player cost the Browns, as Jacoby Brissett was able to play winning football but was constantly let down by his defense.