BEREA, Ohio – The Cleveland Browns have made eight new hires and seven promotions to the football staff.
New Hires:
James Cook – Senior Director of Player Development: Cook will oversee the Player Development program as the Senior Director of Player Development. Cook started his career with NFL International based in the NFL's London office. He has over six years of experience working across several key projects for the NFL internationally including the International Player Pathway Program (IPP), flag football, the NFL Academy and NFL Africa. He most recently served as the Head of Player Development for the NFL's newest Academy based in Asia-Pacific. Cook was born and raised in Surrey, England and played quarterback in Europe for 10 years which includes representing Great Britain at the U19 and Senior Level.
Shaun Herock – Senior College Personnel Advisor: Returning to the Browns as Senior College Personnel Advisor, Herock brings more than 30 years of NFL scouting and executive experience. A two-time Super Bowl champion, he has held senior roles across multiple organizations, including Assistant Director of College Scouting with the Green Bay Packers, Director of College Scouting and Interim General Manager with the Las Vegas Raiders and Personnel Advisor with the Raiders. He previously served with the Browns from 2019-21 as a scout and national scout. Herock began his career as a scouting intern with the Atlanta Falcons and played collegiately as an offensive lineman at the University of Richmond.
Josh Meyer - Scouting Assistant: Meyer joins our personnel department as a scouting assistant. A native of Chicago, Ill., Meyer graduated in 2024 from the University of Michigan with a BA in Cognitive Science. While a student there, he served as a Recruiting Intern for the football team before transitioning into his most recent role as a Player Personnel & Recruiting Analyst from 2024-2025.
Andrew Nimo-Sefah - Scouting Assistant: Nimo-Sefah joins the team as a scouting assistant. A native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., Nimo-Sefah graduated in 2023 from Arizona State University with a BA in Financial Planning. Most recently, he worked as a Stats Analyst for ESPN after working for the NFL GSIS Support team and previously occupying various internship roles for the Arizona Cardinals while in school.
Ryan Smith - Scouting Assistant: Smith moves to an "in-house" position after working as an external Film Analyst for the organization the past two drafts. In that role, he contributed to scouting research evaluation and data collection in the college space. A native of Valley City, Ohio, Smith graduated from Ohio State with a BS in Education while playing offensive line for the football team throughout his time there.
Evan Stanislaw - Junior Software Developer: Stanislaw will contribute to the internal football systems development and support the needs of the personnel and football ops departments. Prior to joining the Browns, Stanislaw worked with the Dallas Stars working on a web-based application for coaches and scouts. He graduated from Michigan State with a bachelor's degree in computer science, where he competed in swimming and was a two-time Academic All-American.
John Michael Tran - Junior Software Developer: Tran graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where he majored in Computer Science. He will contribute to the internal football systems development and support the needs of our personnel department. Prior to joining the Browns, he participated in software engineer internships at NASA and Amazon.
Ethan Weissman – Football Research Analyst: Weissman joins the Cleveland Browns as a Football Research Analyst after serving as a Research & Strategy Intern from 2023-24. A Harvard graduate with a degree in Economics, Weissman supported the Harvard football program across analytics, strategy, operations, video and recruiting. He created and presented weekly opponent breakdowns and provided data-driven insights to support game-planning, leveraging tools like PFF and XOS to inform coaching and operational decisions.
Promotions & New Roles:
Hajriz Aliu – Football Operations Assistant: Hajriz joined the Browns in 2022 as a Scouting Assistant following his time with the UCLA football program. He is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, where he earned a degree in Business Economics and was a member of the football team. In his position, he will support the Player Development program and work closely with the defensive coaching staff. Hajriz is a native of Gadime, Kosovo.
Adam Al-Khayyal – Director, Player Personnel: Promoted to Director of Player Personnel, Al-Khayyal will assist in the day-to-day operation of the personnel department under the direction of Assistant General Manager and Vice President of Player Personnel Glenn Cook. Now in his 11th season with the Browns, Al-Khayyal has previously served as Director of Pro Scouting and Assistant Director of Pro Personnel after beginning with the team as an intern in 2015. Al-Khayyal is a Princeton graduate and former collegiate wide receiver.
Matt Donahoe – National Scout: Elevated to National Scout, Donahoe enters his seventh season with the Browns and 12th in the NFL. He previously served as Southeast Area Scout, evaluating draft-eligible players throughout the region. In his new capacity, he will cross-check prospects nationally and help contribute to the overall robustness of the Browns' college scouting efforts. A Pittsburgh native and Allegheny College graduate, Donahoe was a four-year letterman and two-time Academic All-American in golf. He will continue to bring a strong eye for talent and valuable experience to the personnel department.
Tyler Habursky – Scout, NFS: Promoted to represent the Browns in National Football Scouting (NFS), Habursky will cover an assigned area and evaluate college prospects as part of the team's scouting efforts. He served as a Scouting Assistant in 2024 after graduating from John Carroll University with a Bachelors in Business Administration & Management. A former member of the John Carroll football team, he transitioned into a student-coaching role following an injury.
John Nussman – Area Scout (Midwest): Promoted to Area Scout, Nussman will now cover the Midwest region as part of the college scouting operation. Entering his sixth season with the Browns, he previously spent four years as a scouting assistant before serving as the club's representative in National Football Scouting (NFS). He is a native of Dayton, Ohio, and a graduate of Ohio State.
Abby Protin– Senior Software Developer, Football Information Systems: Protin is entering her fourth season with the Browns after starting off as a Software Developer in 2022. In her new role, she will be managing the three internal football systems that support the needs of the personnel and football ops departments. Protin majored in Computer Science at the University of Maryland. Prior to the Browns she was a Data Analyst for the Maryland baseball team.
Jacqueline Roberts – Coordinator of Coaching Logistics: Roberts joined the Browns in 2024 as an intern within Team Logistics. In addition to experience with Team Logistics, she worked alongside Assistant Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Bubba Ventrone at the 2025 Senior Bowl assisting with all coaching operations. She is a 2024 graduate of Ohio State and served the Ohio State women's basketball program as a student manager for three years. She is a native of Akron, Ohio.
