Andrew Berry is at fault for letting the Cleveland Browns culture get this bad

The Cleveland Browns have two straight years of poor morale to close out the season and that’s on Andrew Berry.

The Cleveland Browns are once again dealing with unnecessary drama thanks to soon-to-be-former Cleveland Browns player Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney called out the Browns just before the end of the season, earning him a trip home instead of to Pittsburgh. Clowney buried the coaches and even took a potshot at Myles Garrett, all comments he now claims were taken out of context.

Sure, Clowney. Sure. Yes, he apologized but his being sent home ahead of the season hindered the Browns in their last game of the year. Since he wasn’t able to play, he couldn’t help the Browns avoid losing to the Steelers.

This is becoming the norm in Cleveland, and that’s solely on Andrew Berry (and to a lesser extent Kevin Stefanski). Guys are calling out one another in the media, Clowney opted to protest in-game by refusing to play on first and second downs against the Ravens in October, and even Garrett has had some issues as well this year.

Garrett skipped practice and claimed it was due to “miscommunication” but Garrett also took shots at the coaching staff earlier in the season and of course, was the subject of Clowney’s barbs. That and his reckless driving history have really painted a less-than-favorable light on Garrett.

That doesn’t even begin to address how Berry and Stefanski allowed the Odell Beckham and Baker Mayfield drama to get to where it go. Better leaders would’ve shut that stuff down long before it ever happened. Moreover, Berry should’ve traded Beckham when the disgruntled wide receiver first demanded one. Berry’s inability to predict how selfish players will impact the locker room when they don’t get what they want is astounding.

This of course bleeds over to Beckham and Jarvis Landry’s more selfish behavior as well. There are a few iconic clips now, one of Beckham telling Nick Chubb that he wants a touchdown, while Chubb replies that he wants to win. Then there’s another where Beckham and Landry are sullenly walking off the field after the Browns scored a touchdown; all because they weren’t the ones to score it.

Let’s not even get into the Deshaun Watson of it all. The disgraced quarterback has not only brought anything but negativity and criticism to the team since his arrival, but he played very poorly once he finally did see the field.

All of this, and so much more is on Berry.

Andrew Berry should be on the hot seat already as Cleveland Browns GM

Berry has not succeeded as the GM of the Browns. In fact, he inherited a pretty well-built team thanks to John Dorsey, and Berry has spent nearly four seasons either tearing it down, throwing parts out, or failing to maintain the unit. The team is digging themselves into a cap hell they won’t soon recover from, thanks to Berry pushing owed money back past the end date of the contracts.

Then you have his failed free agent signings, many of which have not produced results or wins for the club, but most of all, and the most damning, is his very poor draft record.

Most other GMs would’ve cut half of the guys drafted now, just to make room for better players. Not Berry, he’s cut just one guy out of his three draft classes. Plenty of others need to go but haven’t.

While some will complain about the biggest issue with the Browns being a lack of consistency, how can you justify keeping Berry if he’s constantly screwing things up? There are no bonus points for tenured employees who aren’t good at their jobs.

Berry has not only failed to keep the team’s culture healthy and vibrant but has actively made it worse through his choice of players.

If the Browns get off to a slow start, not only will they fire Berry (and likely Stefanski) but they should. Consistency is damn, the team needs people at the top who know how to build a team, not just do whatever the analytics say they should.

And that’s another issue, but that’s another issue for a different day.