Executive Vice President, Football Operations and General Manager, Andrew Berry (7.30.26)
Opening Statement:
“Excited to start the 2026 Training Camp. We can’t wait to get ramped up and go. Part of the reason we’re really excited is because we expect this to be a very competitive camp from top to bottom on the roster. Obviously, over the last two offseasons, we made some difficult decisions in order to set up the franchise for sustained success. But we’re really excited about the young core that we have in place on both sides of the ball and are looking forward to seeing them grow and develop over the next several weeks. I also want to mention Todd (Monken) and his staff,they did a fantastic job running a great offseason program, and we’re all looking forward to seeing their vision come to life on the grass here as we begin training camp. Last thing before I open it up for questions, I want to take a few moments to acknowledge Chris Powell and Scottie Springer. They’ve had a fantastic Cleveland Browns career. Chris was our longest-tenured employee, Scottie was our third-longest-tenured employee, and between them, they have five decades of experience overseeing and running the grounds crew. Those two individuals embody everything you want from an employee — servant leadership, excellence in their role and ultimate humility. They did not have glamour positions in the organization, but all they did was excel and treat people with kindness and decency throughout. So, it’s bittersweet for us, while we’re happy to celebrate such long and excellent careers, we’re really sad to see both of them go. So, with that, I’ll open it up for questions.”
Can you address getting Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit both wrapped up long-term? How do you feel about that?
“Really excited, those guys are core members of our team. I was joking with Peter (John-Baptiste): Denzel’s 29 and Grant’s 27, soon to turn 28, and they’re the elder statesmen of the team. But, really excited to have those guys. They’re what we want in the organization. They embody being Cleveland Browns, and we’re happy to have them.”
How do you think they fit with the plan as you’ve gotten younger over the last year, having a couple of those older guys still hanging around for a while?
“Well, I’ll tell you what, if old is your mid- to late-20s, then I’m in tough shape here, Scott (Petrak). But listen, they’re excellent players, still playing at a high level at their respective positions. Really excited to have them as contributing members of the team.”
How important is it for guys like them and some of the other veterans on this team when you have such a young core? A lot of the veterans who were here last year aren’t here this year. How much do you expect to lean on them as you try to shape the culture of this current iteration of the Browns?
“I don’t think it’s just for any veteran – just having veterans to have veterans. But when you have Denzel and Grant, who are top-level players and top-level people, they end up being kind of like tent poles within your organization and within your roster. So, it’s a luxury and incredibly valuable to have when you construct the team. And both of those guys are homegrown, too.”
How much does extending both of those guys, third contracts for both of them with this organization, maybe relax anyone who got a little nervous after the Myles Garrett trade, seeing the organization show commitment to guys who have really stepped up?
“I’ll be honest Daryl (Ruiter), that really didn’t have much consideration into it. There are very few players in the NFL that get to third contracts now, maybe that’s changing some, as you’re seeing more second contracts be three-year terms as opposed to five-year terms. But since we’ve been here since 2020, the third-contract guys have really been Joel (Bitonio), Myles (Garrett) and now these two. It’s an incredible accomplishment to get to that point, but you’ve got to be the right type of player and the right type of person.”
What about the timing of getting those deals done, you avoid any potential hold-ins, especially knowing they’re the elder statesmen and you have a new coordinator?
“I’d say a couple of things. We are always very proactive with our players. And candidly, we don’t do hold-ins here, our guys know that. But we’re really happy to get those guys done, the business taken care of before camp, so quite honestly, I’m not sitting up here answering those questions from you all, and they can just get going and focus on playing football as opposed to what’s happening with their deal.”
When a guy’s contract is up but there’s no guaranteed money left in it, does that create a chance for open dialogue to get things done?
“It’s probably less about the lack of guaranteed money, because to some degree, once we get to this point, for a veteran, it’s in essence guaranteed anyway. So for ours, we’ve usually taken the policy that we’ll talk about any deal one or two years early. That doesn’t mean we’ll complete a deal one or two years early and both of those individuals fall into that category.”
Jadaveon Clowney came and left yesterday. Do you feel your need for a rotational end trumps age? He’s 33 and doesn’t seem to fit in with the youth movement.
“You can’t look at roster construction in a vacuum. Certainly, we’ve had a bit of a youth movement here, but that doesn’t necessarily mean every transaction is going to be a 24-year-old player or something along those lines. Other things come into play, the role and fit, the financial cost and how it fits into the broader construction of either the position group or the side of the ball.”
Where do things stand with him?
“Really good visit, things we still have to work through. Hopeful that we can add him to the team, but it’s still in the balance.”
He doesn’t seem like a guy that wants to toil through training camp.
“I think that’s an inaccurate perspective on him. He would tell you, if he were standing up here, that his most productive years are when he has a good, hearty camp. I think that comment is quite honestly unfair.”
As you go into a season where you’re one of, or maybe the youngest team in the league, how do you judge the success of this year beyond just wins and losses?
“You know what’s funny, Dan (Labbe), I didn’t know you would ask the question but I was like I need a better response because I kept getting asked this question in the Spring. I keep saying that ‘young doesn’t necessarily equal bad’. I was looking at the seven teams that were the youngest last year, including Green Bay, who’s always young, Philadelphia, who won their division, Seattle, who won the Super Bowl and it included Baltimore. So, I don’t think that has to be a cop-out for expectation or performance. But as we think about it, our goal going into the season is to be a tough and competitive team that develops and plays its best football towards the end. We want to control and focus on the things we can control, because so many things factor in over the course of a year. If we can focus on the narrow set of things within our control — how we prepare every day, how we organize things of that nature, then we believe we’re gonna be happy with what the end of the year looks like.”
Looking at past quarterback competitions with this organization, there always seemed to be a caveat that came with that. A piece of the roster is incomplete, or something. Given the current quarterback competition and the young, skilled guys you’ve brought in, does this feel like one of the more fair, balanced, equitable quarterback competitions you’ve had in a training camp in a long time?
“It’s a good question, Daryl. I don’t know if I could comment on that. Part of it is, truth be told, we haven’t even seen the team in pads yet, so it’s a projection in terms of what we have. We’re excited about it, but none of us really truly know. The second thing I’d say is, quarterback’s a tough position to play in the NFL — no roster is perfect. So, I understand what you’re getting at, but I don’t know if it would be fair for me to characterize this as this is a more fair competition than others in the past.”
It’s a similar situation to last year, when you had a crowded quarterback room with four guys, some young quarterbacks. Are you approaching it with a similar mindset as last year where you’re open to carrying four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but also open to other outcomes?
“I am. I think you’ve heard me say it’s the most valuable position, and look, they’ve got to earn it. It’s not a situation where guys are on scholarship in terms of a roster spot. So, we’ll see. I don’t think you can be prescriptive at the beginning of camp, because things are going to surprise you in both directions. Injuries are going to pop up, opportunities that you don’t foresee on July 31 may show up on August 31. So, we try to maintain as much flexibility as possible.”
Do you think it’s important to have the starting quarterback named for the joint practice?
“I think it’s important to have the starting quarterback named before Week One.”
Are you convinced now, even though you haven’t seen them in pads, that your offensive line is going to be better than what you had last year?
“We feel really good about the players we brought into that group as a whole. I think you hit the nail on the head, Jeff (Schudel), that we haven’t seen them in pads yet, so TBD.”
With Jadaveon again, is there any hesitation given how his last tenure here ended?
“I’d say two things to that, Scott (Petrak). Number one, reconciliation is possible in life, and I don’t subscribe to the notion of defining people by their worst or best moment. In this case, it was a moment of weakness he made a mistake, it’s something you talk through. We’ve maintained a good relationship with JD since 2022. The second thing is, we had him for two years, and it was certainly a lot more positives than negatives despite how it ended. So, we do feel comfortable bringing him back into the organization if it’s the right fit on both sides.”
You won eight games last year, what can fans look forward to this year?
“It goes back to what I said earlier, Terry (Pluto), we’re really excited about this core. We’ve got a group of young players we’ve invested in, that we anticipate growing and developing over the course of the year, with the veteran infrastructure. We’re looking forward to seeing this team on the grass. I feel really good about the coaching staff we have in place and certainly see their vision for how they want to play the roster, and now we’ve got to go out and do it.”
You said Jared Verse was the reason why the Myles trade was palpable for you. What have you seen out of Jared since he’s been here, how do you see him accept the challenge ahead of him and how has he acclimated?
“As a player, we know how effective and disruptive he is, but you really haven’t seen that as much just because we haven’t been in pads. I think anything you’re trying to say there is probably unfair. The guy – rare work ethic, a non-stop motor, outstanding teammate, very passionate about football and he has an energy that’s very infectious for that entire group. That D-line room, they are super tight right now. It’s been pretty cool to see them come together this offseason.”
I know sacks aren’t everything, but can you give an example of a player who never had double-digit sacks in college and went on to be a double-digit sack guy in the NFL?
“Danielle Hunter.”
Is that uncommon?
“I don’t know that off the top of my head; you just asked me for an example.”
In lieu of that question about the young roster and what does success looks like, for the rookie class specifically, what are you hoping to see and learn about that group here at training camp?
“When rookies come in, we expect them to compete and be productive players on the roster. That all being said, I’m not naive to the fact that last year’s class was pretty unique in how quickly and effectively they hit the ground running. But that being said, it’s a job, we’re in professional football now. Do I think our players in year one are going to be as great as they are in year three, year five, whatever? No. But we expect them to be positive contributors to the team this year.”
When it comes to the quarterback situation, if Todd Monken feels you have two quality starters on the roster right now, why not go with the young guy who might have a chance to be your quarterback of the future?
“I wouldn’t rule anything out in terms of the whole quarterback-of-the-future discussion. Ultimately, we’re going to play the player who’s the most productive on the field. I know Scott’s over here saying 27 is old, I think Deshaun (Watson) is only 30. There’s no need to make any decisions about the future right now. We’ll let it play out and figure it out as we go.”
It’s obvious it’s a results business, and everyone is looking at the results of a given play, whether in practice or games. Specifically, to the quarterback, beyond just a completed pass, how do you evaluate a quarterback’s performance independent of results?
“That’s a good question. I think context matters. What are we trying to do? We’re in a scripted period in practice, are we in third-and-long? Where there’s a different measure of success than in second-and-short situations? Why was the play successful? Did we complete the pass, but it was the wrong progression and we got lucky? Or did we throw an interception because the receiver broke off his route, or there was a lack of protection? A big part of it is getting with the coaching staff and understanding the intent of what we’re trying to accomplish with that group. It could be, ‘hey, we want them to be more aggressive in this set of periods because we’re in the lab’, so to speak, or ‘these are more realistic game situations that are simulating a true game.’ So, you take those in sections, and you evaluate them within that context.”
When you traded Myles, it seemed like it could have been a fork in the road — totally embrace or jump into a youth movement. You didn’t take that route with these contracts, so why not?
“The big thing, going back to the Myles decision, is that wasn’t plan A going into the offseason. I’d categorize that as ‘hey this is a unique opportunity that we didn’t necessarily anticipate doing or being available to us.’ So, making that trade didn’t fundamentally alter our approach to team building from that point forward. Denzel and Grant are in the primes of their careers — they’re high-level players, they’re high-level people. Those are the types we want to continually make investments in.”
You mentioned Todd at the beginning, how have you seen him handle and embrace his first chance to be an NFL head coach?
“Todd’s awesome. The best way to describe him is he’s old-school discipline with new-school relationships and football. Have any of you watched Landman? Todd, to me, is like Billy Bob Thornton’s character, Tommy Norris, in Landman. Here’s a guy who’s highly intelligent, great critical-thinking skills, great street savvy, rare problem solver, but he can also relate to the 21-year-old on the oil rig, the head of the drug cartel, or the billionaire financier in the office. That’s Todd Monken, and that’s an incredible skill to have as a head coach.”
How important is the development of depth on the ends? Obviously, Jared Verse, you’re looking for big production out of him and Alex Wright to step up in that role. But for the guys who come in as part of the rotation, how important is it to identify those pieces?
“Between Jared, Alex and Isaiah (McGuire), we’re really happy with that top three. Beyond that, there’s a great opportunity for a number of players in that room to really step up and fill the void. It might have been two years ago, we claimed Cam Thomas off waivers, and he really grew before signing his contract in Atlanta this offseason into a productive, what we would call, BRAVO unit defensive end for us. So, there are a number of younger, less experienced players who will have really good competition for that spot. It’s important, because we wave our D-line — they’re like hockey lines, where it’s go, go, go, and then the next shift comes in. That depth is incredibly important.”
Have you ever had a moment like yesterday where you had to walk out and tell somebody, “Hey, your contract’s signed,” and then they go put their helmet on? What was that like for you?
“The other situation we had that was similar to that was Nick Chubb a couple years ago. What happens in those rare situations is you’re at the one-inch line, trying to hammer out language or some minor detail, and you and the agent look at each other and think, ‘Okay, what we don’t want to have happen is this guy’s on the practice field, we’re at the half-inch line, and there’s some fluke injury,’ and then you are looking at each other like I can’t do the deal and your client’s going to ask, ‘why wasn’t the deal done before I hit the field?’ So, we’ve had two of those situations, but those are really the only situations when that type of thing happens.”
What were those other situations?
“With Chubb, when we were finalizing his deal, around ’21 or ’22, we just had him do individual work, because we didn’t want any type of crazy accident where you can’t do anything about it.”
How do you feel about the cornerback situation after your two starters?
“Good. Myles (Harden) obviously played really well at nickel for us. We signed Damarri (Mathis) last week, and I think we have some good competition. But like any position group, if we have an opportunity to upgrade or add talent, we’ll look to do that.”
Going back to center, what are you looking to see out of Parker Brailsford? And how much would that upgrade the offensive line if he could switch Elgton Jenkins back to tackle?
“The first thing we’re looking at for Parker, who’s done a nice job in the spring, is to have command of everything mentally, because there’s a very high cognitive load at the center position in this offense. The second thing with him, which you already see, is his ability to play at the second level is excellent. Once we get the pads on, it’s about how he acclimates to the relative lack of size for the position. How does he transition and figures out the tools and tricks that allow him to be successful in the NFL. That could come in two weeks, or it could come in two years, we don’t know. But we’re excited about his progress so far.”
When you look out there and see Dawand Jones at left tackle with the first team on day one, and now Spencer’s going to be rotating in with him, what’s the philosophy there, and how do you think that’s going to shake out?
“That’s probably a better question for Todd to speak to since he’ll make the lineup decisions. I think it’s good work for both players, both have had a good spring. Spencer’s acclimated quickly, and you’ve all seen Dawand’s new physique. He’s done a really great job with that. But how that plays out over the next several weeks, and who plays where, fortunately we have a whole training camp to decide that.”
I know you guys scout quarterbacks every year, and it’s part of the process — Jimmy acknowledged you’ll keep an eye on this quarterback class. I know every year we say this is the class, but given the number of top prospects that might be available, does the process change for you in terms of the scouting department this fall?
“No, it doesn’t change. We really treat each year of the scouting process like we’re scouting an expansion team — your needs today aren’t the same as your needs tomorrow, and you just don’t know how the prospects will ebb and flow over the course of the season. So, we have that mindset, and if you get surprised either way, you’re not playing catch-up once you get to the spring.”
We didn’t see Joe Royer out there. Will he be back soon?
“I think we’ve all had situations in our lives and careers where we’re dealing with a personal matter that takes precedent over our job, or in Joe’s case, football. Out of respect for him and his privacy, I’m not going to go into the details, other than to say he has our full support. We’re really happy that he’s focused on resolving this matter. I don’t have a definite timeline on terms of when he’s going to be back, but when he does return, which will hopefully be sooner rather than later, we’ll get him ramped up quickly and reintegrated into everything.”
Do you expect Maliek (Collins) to be cleared at some point in training camp?
“I’m going to let Todd answer that question.”
He said he hopes so.
“I hope so, too.”
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