CLEVELAND, Ohio — We are constantly learning about Andrew Berry as a GM. It wasn’t surprising when the Browns’ second-year EVP of Football Operations and General Manager said on Wednesday, “The trade market will be something that we are always in,” but it did help inform us of his approach.
The trade market in the NFL is catching up to other leagues. The onslaught of quarterbacks looking to switch teams will only drive it faster.
Still, there’s an inefficiency there which offers an advantage for smart GMs of analytically driven teams — and the Browns have just that, one who has worked with front office leaders unafraid to wade into the trading pool.
Sashi Brown, John Dorsey and Howie Roseman are all aggressive traders. Berry spent the most recent of his formative years working under those three, beginning with his first stint with the Browns in 2016.
Still, trading is hard in the NFL, and Berry laid out why.
“The assumption is always that people are not willing to trade,” he said. “I do not think that is necessarily the case. I think the financial aspect plays a component to it. I think the other thing is, let’s say you are trading for a third baseman and you are baseball team, playing third base for the Yankees or the Cardinals is largely the same. That may not be the case position to position with football. All of those nuances make finding trade partners maybe a little bit more challenging in our sport relative to others.”
Berry and the Browns are always going to look for edges and inefficiencies where they can take advantage. With extra draft capital and the ability to take on some money, they might be able to find some in a trade market as teams look to navigate a lower cap.
* Consider me curious to see how things play out with Rashard Higgins. Berry simultaneously said the Browns would like him back but also acknowledged he has the right to make the decision best for him.
“He obviously played a key role for us this past year and we have a really positive history with him,” he said. “Look, free agency can be difficult, and obviously, he has earned the right to make the decision that is most appropriate for him. We will maintain consistently good communication with him and his reps. We will see where it goes.”
Does this mean the Browns want Higgins back but only at their price? Maybe Higgins, who has expressed he wants to stay in Cleveland, will find something more than the Browns are willing to pay him — or at least set the market for what it will take to bring him back. This one is murky.
* Berry avoided much longterm talk when it came to Baker Mayfield, but I’m not reading too much into it. I continue to go back to January when Berry said, “It was really the same trajectory with Myles (Garrett). Obviously we did his deal in the summer, but it is not something that I really felt comfortable talking through really into the offseason. I just do not think it is the right forum. We are very pleased with Baker.”
Wednesday, almost every comment about Mayfield was limited strictly to 2021.
“We have been pretty consistent with our messaging around Baker that we think he had a really strong season for us, we like the maturation and the growth, both on and off the field and we are looking forward to him continuing to take strides in his second year in the offense,” Berry said.
Most of these big extensions get done in the summer or right before the season, so there’s no rush on this. Berry compartmentalized his offseason later in his call and extensions weren’t at the front of the list.
“We have a lot of major decisions that we are going to make, and the first of those come with guys who have expiring contracts within the next two and a half weeks,” Berry said in response to a question about an extension for Nick Chubb. “We do have a number of players who are extension eligible, of which Nick is one. That is something that we will sort through as we go through the offseason.”
Berry and this front office aren’t going to be rushed. There are clear steps forward and it starts with fifth-year options for Mayfield and Denzel Ward, which don’t need to be exercised until May.
* Was his most interesting answer about the defensive end position and the importance of finding a running mate for Garrett?
“I do not know that I would necessarily single that position out among others across the defense, if I am guessing perhaps where you are going with this question,” he said. “I think that it is great to have two bookends along the defensive line — very few teams do. I think there are a number of different configurations that can make us successful on the defensive line. We will look to add talent at that spot, no different than we would all across the defense and up and down the roster, but I would not necessarily get zeroed in there.”
It wouldn’t surprise me if adding another cornerback, even with the return of Greedy Williams, is equally — if not more — important.
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