Browns general manager Andrew Berry explains why team is on the brink of success

The Cleveland Browns are in a two-season rut.

Over the course of the last 34 games, the Browns have won a measly eight games and have put up the least amount of points for in both seasons since the team went 0-16 back in 2017. They've also been on back-to-back spells of having a negative 100+ point differential, a first since that pitiful year of the team's history as well.

This past campaign, the Browns' only five wins came against the Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals. While there are a couple of notable upsets in there, 2025 was perceived to have been a pretty big disappointment.

Due to such bumps in the road being apparent, the front office decided to shake things up and fire head coach Kevin Stefanski on Monday, Jan. 5. In a corresponding announcement, they committed to keeping general manager Andrew Berry in place.

Here's what was said about the future of the Browns

Both owner Jimmy Haslam and Berry believe that the Browns' current roster has the talent to succeed; it's just that the players aren't being built up to the level at which they are fully capable of. He also shed light on the fact that teams in recent seasons have turned around their reputation within a single year.

"I'll never put a limit on our team in a given year," Berry said. "I think, you know, we see that on a yearly basis. I think you can look at how different the playoff field is, you know, this year versus last year. I think we have, what, three teams that were picking in the top ten last year that are either winning their division or, you know, going to be playing this upcoming weekend.

"So every year really is unique."

The teams that Berry was mentioning that ended up in the playoffs this season after having down 2024 seasons were the Chicago Bears, New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. While their draft picks did end up playing a pretty major role in each team's turnaround, their other offseason additions and overall development did as well.

Berry wants to draw comparisons between the Browns and other teams, but there simply aren't many.

Cleveland has put itself in the trash when it comes to cap space, primarily due to the Deshaun Watson trade just a few seasons back, placing them in a situation where they are going to have to build the team up internally and through the draft.

Fortunately, he does seem to understand that this situation the team is in is going to be an uphill climb, but has the potential to make the Browns better.

"[I'm] very much more focused on process and doing the things that we need to do on a daily and weekly basis to get there," Berry said. "I wish I had a crystal ball and could say, hey, this is what it is definitively. You know, do I feel like we're closer today than we were a year ago? I do.

"I hope we are a whole hell of a lot closer a year from now than we are today."

The first plan of action for the Browns is to find the organization's next head coach as they look to start a new chapter in the history books.