Andrew Berry Opens Up On Potential Draft-Day Trades
Over the past four years, the Cleveland Browns have been an extremely active franchise during the NFL Draft, trading draft picks for veteran players or using their draft inventory to either get higher picks or more selections.
Browns GM Andrew Berry is the architect behind those moves.
The 2024 NFL Draft, however, was Berry’s first where Cleveland did not make a trade, forcing the team to use all six picks on players in the original positions where Cleveland entered the draft.
In a recent “Cleveland Browns Daily” Podcast interview, Berry admitted that the team sought trade partners for deals that did not pan out last week during the annual draft process.
“Opportunities that going into the weekend we hoped would become available to us that didn’t because we would have liked to turn six picks into a few more, whether it was present or future,” Berry said.
Host Nathan Zegura prefaced his question to the Browns GM with Berry’s response from the previous week, suggesting that Berry’s version of a good draft would be the team maximizing its resources.
Zegura followed up that question by asking Berry if he was frustrated about the team’s inability to trade for more picks in either this year’s draft or the following year’s process.
Berry deflected about his emotions following the missed trade opportunities, saying instead that “sometimes, the ball bounces that way.”
The GM added that the timing of the deals presented were not right, and Cleveland coaches are happy with the players that the team drafted.
READ MORE:
Proposed Commanders Trade Would Land 49ers Bargain WR
After drafting Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the Washington Commanders could look to continue adding weapons around him. The team lost Curtis Samuel in free agency to the Buffalo Bills but added Austin Ekeler and others in free agency and the draft to give the No. 2 pick weapons. In a proposed trade with the San Francisco 49ers from Rico of Bleacher Report, the Commanders would land another weapon for Daniels.
The deal doesn’t land Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk, but Jauan Jennings. Rico’s trade would send a fifth-round pick to the 49ers.
“So I got Jauan Jennings to the Commanders from the 49ers. They get a fifth-rounder in this one here. Obviously, this one is a no-brainer for me,” Rico said on his NFL trade ideas stream. “You get help in the slot. I know Luke McCaffrey’s there, but you get a big, experienced slot that you can work in with Jahan Dotson, they can work in with Scary Terry.”
How Jauan Jennings Would Help the Commanders
The Washington Commanders have a legitimate Pro Bowler in Terry McLaurin. However, outside of McLaurin, the weapons could improve.
The Commanders’ No. 2 receiver, Jahan Dotson, had 518 yards on 49 receptions, averaging 10.6 yards per catch. Ekeler, viewed as a threat as a running back and wide receiver, had his fewest receiving yards since 2020 in the 2023 season.
