Andrew Berry NFL Combine quick hits: Browns pushing NFL to move back trade deadline
INDIANAPOLIS — The NFL trade deadline has been relatively quiet for the Browns over Andrew Berry's first four years as the general manager.
The only deadline deal Berry has made in that span was the one this past season when he sent receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round draft pick. The only other trade he has made during the regular season was on Oct. 10, 2022, when he picked up linebacker Deion Jones and a 2024 seventh-round pick from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick.
The trade deadline has fallen on the Tuesday after the Week 8 games since the NFL went to the 18-game schedule in 2021. However, Berry and the Browns are leading the charge to have the deadline moved back two weeks until the Tuesday following the Week 10 games.
"We really have four goals in mind," Berry said Tuesday at the NFL Combine. "One, we think as a league it makes sense to give teams as much flexibility as possible to have the best product during the stretch run to the playoffs. Two, we wanted to make sure that we could maintain the competitive integrity of the season, so you don’t get into player dumping late in the year.
"Three, we wanted to retroactively correct the fact the trade deadline never moved when the season expanded to 17 games. Four, if at some point in the future the regular season expands to 18 games we wanted to be proactive in terms of positioning for the trade deadline."
The NFL can't, by the current collective bargaining agreement, expand to 18 games unless it were to renegotiate that specific point with the NFL Players Association. However, Berry's general points remain strong, even though he acknowledges the proposal doesn't have universal support.
Berry also pointed to the other major professional sports leagues in North America and where the deadline fell on their calendars in terms of percent of the season completed. For Major League Baseball and the NBA, the season's 65% completed before the deadline, while the NHL's at 78%.
The NFL's current deadline puts it at 45% through the season. The proposal moves that back to where 55% is done.
"Over the last 10 years, the earliest a team’s been eliminated from postseason consideration has been Week 11, and that happened in 2014 and 2016," Berry said. "If you look at the last three, 27 or more teams are actually within two games of the wild card spot. We felt that was like the sweet spot where we could add additional flexibility, can be proactive in terms of how we’re thinking about it, and it can also be at time when teams are still competitive as they thought about the current season."
The rule proposal could be voted on at the NFL Owners' Meetings March 24-27 in Orlando, Fla.
Jedrick Wills Jr., Jack Conklin, Dawand Jones 'progressing' in recoveries
The Browns had rough injury luck across the board last season. Nowhere was that more evident than at tackle, where they lost three starters — left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and right tackles Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones — to various season-ending knee injuries.
Berry wouldn't state a firm point for where each was in their various recoveries, which would make sense given the different points last fall when the injuries happened. Nor would he go so far as to expect them ready for the voluntary offseason program that starts April 15.
"Probably too early to say on April 15," Berry said. "We do anticipate them being ready for the season. They're all recovering. They all have different injuries, so different time horizons for their recovery. All three of them have been working hard. All three of them are progressing as appropriate and we do anticipate having them available to us throughout the season."
What all three coming back from injury also creates is a quandary in terms of playing time. Would it go right back to Wills and Conklin as the starters if all three are ready to go for the opener, or would they go a different way?
"It's a good problem to have," Berry said. "Tackle's a position we'll always invest in. It's just too important, we're O-line snobs. Honestly, my focus is on building the roster and making sure the guys get healthy. We're six months from playing, so we'll deal with that."
Quick hits on The Greenbriar, Greg Newsome II, joint practices, Brazil, backup QBs
A few quick hits on a variety of topic which Berry talked about between a 15-minute podium appearance and a separate 15 minutes specifically just with Cleveland-area media:
The Browns will once again be spending a portion of training camp at The Greenbriar in West Virginia, Berry confirmed. He didn't have the exact dates for when, but did indicate the length of time would be in the 9-or-10-day range as it was a year ago.
Cornerback Greg Newsome II is eligible to have his fifth-year option picked up by the Browns by 4 p.m. on May 2. The fifth-year price tag for the No. 26 pick in the 2021 draft would be $13.377 million. Berry, though, wouldn't comment on if and/or when the Browns would pick up the option.
The Browns are going to once again participate in joint practices, the fourth consecutive year they will go against another team for a couple of days during training camp. This time, the Minnesota Vikings will be coming to Berea to participate, according to Berry. The Vikings' general manager is former Berry assistant Kwesi Adolfo-Mensah, while Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski spent more than a decade as a Minnesota assistant.
The Browns have been strongly linked to the NFL’s new season-opening game on Sept. 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Philadelphia Eagles are the home team, with the opposing team coming from one of their nine home opponents. Berry would only say there’s “no update there” when he was asked about the possibility on Tuesday.
Berry reiterated his stance that the Browns ,will continue to help the quarterbacks behind Deshaun Watson. Does that mean bringing back a Joe Flacco or Jacoby Brissett? "Quarterback will always be a high priority for us, from one to three," Berry said. what that room looks like as we get into the summer, that I'm not sure yet. It'll largely just depend on who's available and at what cost."
Another free-agent option is bringing back defensive end Za'Darius Smith, The unrestricted free agent had 5.5 sacks for the Browns last fall after being acquired in a May trade with the Green Bay Packers. "He fit really well," Berry said. "Really pleased with his production. He was awesome in the room. We really loved having him around. How all those pieces fit together we’re still figuring out."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns, Andrew Berry want to see NFL trade deadline moved later
