It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago there were so many Cleveland Browns fans calling for GM Andrew Berry to be fired. He was on thin ice for a while, but was given the benefit of the doubt because of how horribly the Deshaun Watson trade worked out for this franchise.
Now that he finally has draft picks to work with and can see the light at the end of the tunnel with Watson’s contract, the roster is starting to show real signs of improvement at all levels. After another impressive draft class and the way he impressively navigated the Myles Garrett trade, one insider is particularly impressed with Berry’s performance of late and named what he believes to be his best trade as a GM.
During a recent article for The Athletic, Zac Jackson raved about Berry and praised him for his success in making trades over the past couple of years. When listing all the moves he’s made over the years, he named 2 trades that stood out as his best.
“Berry’s best trade was either the deal that netted Amari Cooper for two third-day picks in March 2022, or the one he made in the first round in 2025 that got the Browns an extra first-round pick in 2026 and positioned them to draft Quinshon Judkins,” Jackson wrote.
The trade down from No. 2 to No. 5 in the 2025 draft and the Garrett trade were both truly shocking and are the types of moves that often get a GM fired months later. Both moves had the potential to backfire catastrophically, but you’re not going to find many Browns fans wishing they had Travis Hunter right now instead of Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins, and KC Concepcion.
Amari Cooper’s career came to a screeching halt in 2024, but he had arguably the two best years of his career in his first two years in Cleveland. He was exactly the No. 1 receiver this franchise needed at the time, and Berry did something similar when he traded for Jerry Jeudy to take the baton from Cooper.
Berry traded two late picks for Jeudy just as he did for Cooper, and Jeudy immediately had a career year as the WR1. He took a step back last year, but he’s still young and will hopefully have a better QB situation in a much better offense in 2026.
The Garrett trade will likely age great as well with Jared Verse stepping into his role. You can’t say enough about what Berry has done lately, but the next step is to see those moves pay dividends in the win column.
NEXT: Insider Names Worst Browns Uniforms In Franchise History
