Struggling Browns make changes at top

Sashi Brown brought analytics, a bevy of draft picks and some stability to the Cleveland Browns.

In the end, losing mattered most.

With the Browns not winning and still the NFL’s saddest franchise, owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam decided it was time to make yet another change at the top before things got any worse.

Unable to produce more than one win over two seasons, Brown was fired Thursday by the Haslams, who jettisoned their lead football executive but said they would keep coach Hue Jackson around for another season despite a 1-27 record.

Hours after Brown was let go, the Browns hired former Kansas City Chiefs executive John Dorsey as their new general manager. Dorsey, fired by the Chiefs last June after four seasons, was partially credited with the club’s renaissance.

Etc. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier underwent surgery Wednesday night in Pittsburgh to stabilize his spine, the team announced Thursday. Shazier, 25, suffered the injury while hitting the Cincinnati Bengals’ Josh Malone in the first quarter of the Steelers’ 23-20 victory Monday night. Shazier motioned to his lower back immediately after the hit and was taken off the field on a stretcher . ... Buffalo Bills rookie cornerback Tre’Davious White shook nervously in anger at his locker while accusing New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski of being a dirty player for blindsiding him in the back of the head. As for the NFL issuing Gronkowski a one-game suspension for the hit Sunday, White turned away from the television cameras and muttered, “It’s a joke, dog.” White then turned back toward the cameras and said, “He is what he did. A dirty shot. So what’s that make him? A dirty player. Simple.” ... Matt Moore, the Miami Dolphins’ backup quarterback, will be unavailable for at least one more game because of a foot injury, coach Adam Gase said.