Is it really on Andrew Berry for this whole quarterback mess?

The Cleveland Browns may have screwed up their 2022 season already.

Say what you will about the Cleveland Browns, but they are consistent in something; bad ownership. Since Al Lerner has passed away, the Cleveland Browns have been run and mismanaged for nearly two decades. We thought Jimmy Haslam, who has made more than his fair share of mistakes as an owner, finally wised up when he let his wife Dee take over the Haslam Sports Group as chairperson.

They hired Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski, got to the playoffs, things looked good. Then poor play, injuries, and baffling bad coaching decisions, all popped up and derailed the 2021 season. Since then, Berry has gone on record saying Baker Mayfield was his quarterback for 2022 and the thought process was that the Browns believed the quarterback’s injury truly did harm his performance.

Then the Browns got on a plane to head to Houston to talk to Deshaun Watson, hours after the deposition for his civil lawsuits happened. Watson’s name is forever tarnished, and his own actions are at fault for that. Most fans have come down on the “we don’t want him” side of the conversation.

Not necessarily for some loyalty to Mayfield, but there is some of that, however more due to the fanbase not wanting to be associated with him for the next however-many-years. Many reacted with utter shock and appall when they saw the report that the Browns were going down to meet him. Many criticized Berry for going back on his word and lying to everyone.

That was fair, at the time. After all, the buck stops at Berry, or so we thought. See, we got too accustomed to the Haslam’s not messing with things. Like Freddy Kruger, we forgot they were there. They faded into the backdrop of our minds and just like Freddy Kruger, Jimmy Haslam wanted to remind us all that he’s still there.

Jimmy Haslam at the center of the Deshaun Watson pursuit

Considering the debacle the Browns have been, especially under Haslam’s ownership, it’s really not surprising to hear Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline claim that it was Haslam all along who was pushing for Watson.

"The Browns are currently courting Deshaun Watson and finished their meeting with Watson in Houston on Tuesday afternoon, according to sources who spoke to PFN Insider Aaron Wilson. Pauline reported that he was told Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has been the driving force in the Browns’ attempt to bring Watson to Cleveland, as he believes the soon-to-be-former Houston Texan is the missing piece of the Super Bowl puzzle."

If you’re Berry, how can you not be mad about this? I would be, you finally have everything lining up as you want them, and then the owner yanks the wheel from you as you’re driving? Yikes.

The issue isn’t replacing Mayfield, it’s Berry’s career, and if he feels he needs a better quarterback to ensure he doesn’t get canned, fair. The issue comes down to the player in question; Watson, and the fact that Berry has notoriously been anti-trading assets.

The current rumor for what it’ll take to get Watson is something in the line of three-firsts, a few second and thirds, Kareem Hunt, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and Greg Newsome. The Browns’ defense was awsome in 2021, in part due to the then-rookies Owusu-Koramoah and Newsome. The team is now going to move two of their best building blocks, and expose the defense?

That would be some Bill Callahan-level nonsense.

Haslam being the one to push for this makes total sense, he’s notorious for his poor behavior and random actions. From the Pilot Flying J scandal to the allegations that he paid Hue Jackson to lose games (and Jackson apparently took the money), to the Haslam calling Sashi Brown “Obama“, to when he praised Joe Banner for “building a strong team” and then firing him with his next breath.

Also, keep in mind, this is the same man that pushed the Browns to draft Johnny Manziel and personally wanted Hue Jackson. If Haslam isn’t reigned in, the Browns are going to implode because Haslam just doesn’t know what he’s doing.

And since no one, not even his wife Dee, is getting him to stay in check; we’re doomed.