Call it optimistic, but signs are pointed to Browns GM Andrew Berry having grown as the team’s top executive this offseason.
For several years, Berry has shown his ability to be a tough negotiator, a tactician with the salary cap, and a wizard at using draft picks as capital to improve the team.
The problem with draft picks Berry has made is his reluctance to move on from them quickly.
In his fifth year, Berry is proving that players he drafted who do not appear ready for the NFL will finally have a shorter leash as he is quicker to admit his own draft missteps.
Take defensive tackle Siaka Ika for example.
Early on Tuesday, NFL insider Ari Meirov reported on Twitter that Ika would be released to meet the Browns’ 53-man roster limit despite having been a third-round selection the previous year.
The #Browns are releasing DT Siaki Ika, their 3rd-round pick from just a year ago, per @MaryKayCabot. pic.twitter.com/P8J2PRBv2u
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 27, 2024
Ika’s waiver is a move few believe Berry would have made even a year ago.
Yet the 2023 third-round draft pick wasn’t the only one Berry parted ways with on Tuesday.
Berry also waived 2024 seventh-rounder Jowon Briggs and 2022 sixth-rounder Michael Woods II.
That follows Berry’s decision to waive 2022 seventh-round athlete Isaiah Thomas on Monday and trade Cade York to the Washington Commanders late last week.
The release does not mean that the Browns will necessarily move on from the athletes as each player would be eligible for the team’s practice squad should they clear the waiver process.
Still, making these hard moves to admit players are not NFL-ready is a sign of growth from Berry the franchise needs to take its next step toward making its first-ever Super Bowl.
Does Anthony Schwartz ring a bell?
Hopefully, Schwartz’s overdue departure last year was the start of a new chapter for Berry and the Browns.
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