BEREA — The bye week for the Browns may have come at the perfect time of the season. So, too, may have general manager Andrew Berry's annual bye-week availability.
Berry took questions from the media Wednesday morning for the first time since training camp. The availability came less than 24 hours after the NFL trade deadline came and went, with the Browns' only move being sending defensive end Za'Darius Smith to the Detroit Lions .
However, it also comes just under 72 hours after the Browns fell to 2-7 with last Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers . It also comes just a couple of weeks after quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered yet another season-ending injury , yet another anchor to what has fast become the worst trade in NFL history.
Berry was asked about all of those subjects, and more, during a roughly 25-minute news conference. Here's a look at the highlights from what the general manager had to say:
The majority of the questions directed toward Berry had, in some way, connections to Watson. There were questions about ownership of the trade — of which Berry said, "All of us were on board," meaning owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, himself and coach Kevin Stefanski — of a lack of consistent play, of his performance overall and, yes, whether or not Watson could be the team's quarterback of the future as well.
"Really our focus with Deshaun, I would say for any player with a season-ending injury and a major injury is, first and foremost, with the recovery and to make sure that he gets healthy from the Achilles injury," Berry said. "Everything else we'll deal with at a later moment."
Watson has played just 19 games for the Browns, including seven this season. The Achilles tear came after a sustained stretch of his play being among the worst of any quarterback in the league, while the Browns offense was the worst in the league.
Berry didn't have a timetable for Watson's full recovery or what the next step will be, saying it was still too close to the surgery. Asked directly if he could see Watson playing quarterback again next season, Berry said, "Yeah, I think that's always possible."
Berry was asked what feedback he had received from ownership as the season careened toward the current record. He didn't answer the question directly, but danced around the subject.
"Yeah, I don't think any, our fans aren't happy, we're not happy internally," he said. "The first nine games we haven't played to an acceptable level, and so really everybody's focus organizationally is to make the changes both short term and long term that would enable us to win consistently."
Both Berry and Stefanski signed extensions during June. They're the longest-tenured head coach and general manager since the team returned to the NFL in 1999.
With another losing season staring them down, Berry was asked about his own job security, as well as that of Stefanski.
"I'd say No. 1 to myself, I always view myself as a steward of the organization in this role and really my focus is on doing the things that are in my control short term and long term to make sure it's in the best interest of the franchise," Berry said. "I would say to Kevin specifically, look, I think there are 13 coaches in the history of the sport to win a coach of the year award multiple times. Ten of them went to a Super Bowl or an NFL championship, six of them won one, and seven are in the Hall of Fame, and he's the second fastest to do it. Kevin's an outstanding coach and he's absolutely part of the solution with everything."
Jameis Winston was named by Stefanski as the Browns' starting quarterback for the rest of the season, which he reiterated Monday.
However, second-year pro Dorian Thompson-Robinson has remained an intriguing prospect to some. The unknown, or perceived unknown, is something many think should be determined before moving on to try to find another quarterback.
"That'll always lie with Kevin and the offensive staff," Berry said. "In terms of who to play in general, I would say we're going to play the guys that we think give us the best chance to perform well on Sundays and beat the upcoming opponent."
The question of the Browns' window of contention being closed has been discussed. If it has shut, then the realistic question to ask is if it's time for another teardown of the roster.
"I'd say two things in terms of the long-term planning, again, that's probably a better postseason discussion," Berry said. "I think one of the beauties of the NFL is it's, it's not like baseball, it's not like basketball, where at times you may need these half-decade long pivots or rebuilds. I think you see it every year with teams, just the margins are so thin and then honestly, with just the way that our sport works with player procurement, I don't think, it's not like we're drafting a 16-year-old kid who's got to play eight years in the minors before he comes and produces or something along those lines. So I think generally you don't necessarily have to see those pivots in our sport."
The Browns offense has been, for the most part, among the worst in the NFL. That was especially true over the seven weeks in which Watson was the starter.
While the quarterback was a primary cause, Berry remained steadfast in saying there are many variables that contributed to the dismal results.
"No. 1, if it was one thing like I kind of mentioned, that makes it a bit of an easy fix," Berry said. "I think there are a variety of factors. There's probably always a little bit of transition cost to when you do make changes. We have had guys in and out of the lineup, and then quite honestly just at times we haven't played disciplined football. We've shot ourselves in the foot but, again, that's not new to the NFL, it's not new to our organization, no excuses in that regard. We just have to play better."
Berry, as the general manager, is responsible for the construction of the roster. So, was the roster he helped construct overvalued in how talented it really was coming into the season?
"I think that's probably more of a reflection for after the season," Berry said. "I mean, look, at 2-7, we haven't played well, and in the NFL with the margins being so thin, it's not always just about talent, it's also about team building and how we marry everything on Sundays. But, again, those are all things that we're looking into during the bye week and obviously we'll do more analysis after the season."
The tackle position has been a major season-long question for the Browns offensive line. Originally, it was due to Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills Jr. recovering from season-ending injuries suffered last year.
However, the latest question involve left tackle, specifically, where Dawand Jones has flipped from the right side to be the starter there. Meanwhile, Wills, the former No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 draft, has been relegated to being the backup swing tackle.
"Yeah, so I would say more generally the tackles, we need all three," Berry said. "We're going to need all three of 'em. They've all prepared really accordingly, just because we've had a little bit of, maybe a little bit of a carousel there early in the year because of injuries and availability. So really all three of those guys, they just have to continue to be ready and play good football. It's going to be an important position for us."
(This story has been updated with new information.)
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns general manager Andrew Berry talks Deshaun Watson, bad start
