Browns GM: OBJ, Hunt, Njoku part of future
Berry would listen to any trade talk but sees trio as important cogs.
Andrew Berry isn’t simply evaluating draft prospects during the NFL Scouting Combine.
The new general manager of the Browns is also busy handling business decisions pertaining to the roster he inherited.
When Berry addressed media Tuesday at the Indiana Convention Center, he discussed the futures of several key players who have questions surrounding their statuses with the organization.
To summarize, Berry spoke as if running back Kareem Hunt, tight end David Njoku and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. have futures with the Browns, but the GM expressed uncertainty about whether middle linebacker Joe Schobert and defensive end Olivier Vernon will remain with the team this year.
Below is a rundown of Berry’s takes on those situations ahead of free agency kicking off March 18.
Tender coming
Berry revealed he plans to place a restricted free agent tender on Hunt, the talented but troubled Willoughby South High School graduate who served an eightgame suspension from the NFL last season stemming from physical altercations with a woman in February 2018 and a man in June of the same year.
By tendering Hunt, 24, the Browns will retain the right of
first refusal, meaning they could match any offer sheet he might sign with another team.
Berry declined to disclose whether he’ll use a first-, secondor original-round tender on Hunt, a third-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 who made the Pro Bowl and led the league in rushing yards as a rookie.
The projected costs for those tenders are $4.7 million for first, $3.3 million for second and $2.1 million for original round, according to overthecap.com, and whichever one Berry chooses will dictate the level of compensation the Browns would receive in exchange for Hunt should he go to another team.
Another team might not be willing to surrender a pick in the first three rounds for Hunt, considering he admitted last month to a Rocky River police officer he would have failed a drug test when small amounts of marijuana were found in a car he had been driving when he was pulled over.
After the incident, Berry and new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told Hunt their expectations for his off-field behavior.
“We’re looking forward to him being a member of our team,” Berry said, “provided that he and all of our players abide by our expectations.”
New life
Njoku clashed with former Browns coach Freddie Kitchens last season while returning from a surgically repaired broken wrist he suffered in Week 2, and the tight end’s future with the club became murky.
But Berry served as vice president of player personnel with the Browns in 2017 when they drafted Njoku in the first round (No. 29 overall), and envisions a role for him.
“David didn’t quite have the year that he anticipated this past fall,” Berry said. “But we still view David as a talented pass catcher and a guy that we expect to take a step forward in this upcoming year.”
Berry implied the Browns will exercise the fifth-year options on the rookie contracts of Njoku and defensive end Myles Garrett, the 2017 first overall pick whose option had already been expected to be picked up.
Njoku, 23, played 16 games