It is that time of the NFL calendar when anything and everything that can be ranked will be ranked. It is also the time of year that feathers can get ruffled over the littlest of things.
Today, Matt Miller put out his top 10 general managers in the NFL list and it did not including Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry. Miller, who rose to prominence at Bleacher Report, now runs his own site while also providing content for ESPN.
The initial response from Browns fans on social media was to jump on the fact that Berry was not included despite two very good offseasons. Since taking over, Berry oversaw a revamping of the offense last season including the creation of the best offensive line in football. This offseason, Berry has reshaped the defense to compete in the high-powered AFC with a lot of speed and coverage skills all over the place.
In Miller’s list, the newest GM was hired in 2017. He also clarified, both privately to this writer then via this tweet, that newer GM’s were not in this ranking:
1. GMs with less than two years aren’t ranked here, they will be on the full list of 32 GMs.
2. Full list comes out tomorrow.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) June 22, 2021
At this point, Berry has a very small sample size to pull from among grades. On the field, his moves last year are the only things that can be graded. While this offseason, with the additions of John Johnson III, Jadeveon Clowney, Troy Hill, Greg Newsome II and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (to name just a few), is seen in a positive light, those additions haven’t seen the field yet for the Browns.
How does Miller feel about Berry? “Berry is amazing,” Miller told Browns Wire. How did he feel about Berry during the NFL draft?
#Browns fans should LOVE this draft class. Andrew Berry very quickly becoming one of my favorite general managers.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) May 1, 2021
Needless to say, Berry will likely appear in future rankings from Miller and many, many others.