Cleveland Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown on Wednesday named Andrew Berry Vice President of Player Personnel. Berry joins the Browns after spending the previous seven seasons in the Indianapolis Colts front office, including the last four as pro scouting coordinator.
"We are fortunate to add someone of Andrew's caliber to the Cleveland Browns," said Brown. "Andrew has been part of a strong foundation in Indianapolis and possesses a tremendous understanding of what is needed to lead a successful, high functioning and comprehensive personnel group. He has been trained by some very experienced and highly successful personnel executives in the National Football League. Andrew understands what it takes to build a winning team and the individual traits that are essential in looking at each player that make up that team. Andrew's strategic and relentless approach to improving his craft and this team will positively impact our short and long-term opportunities. We are excited to welcome him to Cleveland."
"Andrew will be a great leader in our personnel department," said Browns Head Coach Hue Jackson. "In spending time with Andrew, it is evident that he has a very strong understanding of the game. His substance and depth in his analysis of how to build a successful team and how he looks at individual players will be a great benefit to us moving forward. It is critical to not just rely on one individual but to have a leader in place that can bring together a comprehensive array of information from our talented and hard working group of scouts and raise the strategic level and success of our approach."
"I am truly excited about the opportunity to work with the Cleveland Browns," said Berry. "I look forward to collaborating with Hue, Sashi, Paul (DePodesta) and the personnel staff to make the most informed decisions to benefit our organization. Hue is an outstanding coach with a diversity of expertise and proven track record of success, while I think Sashi and Paul are two of the brightest minds in all of professional sports. Jimmy and Dee (Haslam) have made it clear that they are committed to providing a winning team to the most passionate fan base in the NFL and this is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to building the perennial contender that Browns fans deserve."
Berry joined the Colts as a scouting assistant in 2009 and was elevated to pro scout in 2011. He was promoted to pro scouting coordinator in 2012. He worked with a Colts team that won four AFC South titles, made five postseason appearances and advanced to Super Bowl XLIV. During his time in Indianapolis, the Colts won 67 games, sixth-most in the NFL from 2009-15. With the Colts, his duties included managing the free agency process, scouting upcoming Colts' opponents, evaluating NFL players and players other professional leagues. He also assisted with college scouting, preparation for the NFL draft and participated in contract negotiations during free agency.
He graduated cum laude from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in economics and master's in computer science in just four years. Berry was a four-year starter as a corner and was a three-time All-Ivy League team selection and an All-America honoree. He totaled 125 career tackles and five interceptions. At one point during his junior year, Berry went four consecutive games without the ball being thrown in his direction.
Berry was one of five finalists for the John Wooden Citizenship Cup, which is awarded to the nation's highest-achieving student-athlete who best displays character, teamwork, and citizenship. He was a finalist for the Draddy Trophy as the national scholar-athlete of the year and was named the 2009 Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Director Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Quote from Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Polian on Andrew Berry
"Andrew Berry is one of the brightest young men we ever had the pleasure of working with. He came to us very early in his career and very soon we realized he was on a fast track. I am not surprised the Browns hired him for this very important position. I assure you he has both the capacity and the will to do an outstanding job. The Browns have made, in my humble opinion, a great hire."
