It's often a dirty word among the fan base but the Cleveland Browns front office loves analytics.
Andrew Berry was hired in 2020 to replace John Dorsey as the general manager and the Harvard grad is a firm believer in acquiring as much data as possible before making any decision. He's aided by Paul DePodesta, who is the chief strategy officer. DePodesta rose to fame as an executive in Major League Baseball, where he was a key figure in the Moneyball approach to team-building.
That's why it's no surprise that the Browns were the top analytical team in a recent poll from ESPN. Seth Walder, who polled staffers around the NFL, says they not only were the top organization overall but swept every category.
"It wasn't simply that the Browns were named the most analytically advanced organization, it's that they swept all three major categories. A plurality of their analytics peers felt the Browns produced more advanced quantitative work than any other team, used it in decision-making most effectively or both." — Seth Walder, ESPN
They were even praised by rivals as one unnamed AFC staffer said they were "far ahead in terms of who they have on staff."
Fans have been divided on Browns analytical approach
While Berry gets attention for his approach, Cleveland was all-in on using analytics during the Sashi Brown days, which led to exhaustion among fans. Brown moved on from veteran players with big price tags, such as Joe Haden. He also stockpiled draft picks but never got to see his plan through.
Brown, who had been in Cleveland since 2013, was named GM in 2016 but was fired in 2017. He was replaced by John Dorsey, who was a hit with fans — who called him a "football guy."
Dorsey had some excellent traits but wasn't great when it came to building depth throughout the roster. He also missed with the Freddie Kitchens hire, leading to his departure after 2019.
The shift to Berry, who was the vice president of player personnel under Brown (2016-2017) and Dorsey (2019) meant a move back to analytics. So far, it's produced two winning seasons in four years which means it's here to stay whether fans like it or not.
