Andrew Berry Sets the Terms of Cleveland’s Coaching Search — and Shedeur Sanders Is at the Center of It

The Interview That Changed the Tone

Cleveland’s head coaching search already carried the usual weight: roster uncertainty, a restless fan base, and the annual pressure of getting the quarterback decision right. But Browns general manager Andrew Berry didn’t treat his latest public comments like another checkpoint on the offseason calendar. He treated them like a line in the sand.

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In an interview that has lit up Browns circles, Berry described what he wants from the next head coach in language that sounded standard on the surface — leadership, partnership, crisis management — but landed with unmistakable force because of the context. Whether Cleveland ultimately keeps Shedeur Sanders as its plan or simply as part of the plan, Berry’s message was clear: any coach walking into the building has to be equipped to handle the quarterback conversation, not run from it.

And in a market like Cleveland, where the quarterback storyline doesn’t take Sundays off, that’s a direct warning to candidates who think they can dodge the topic until they have the job.

“It’s First and Foremost a Leadership Position”

Berry started with a broad principle that applies to every coaching search, but he emphasized it in a way that felt pointed.

“It’s first and foremost a leadership position,” Berry said, describing the job as leadership across multiple constituencies: players, assistants, support staff, and the entire organization “during times of crisis.”

That phrase matters. Coaches don’t get hired to manage the easy stretches. They get hired to stabilize the moments when a team is splintering — when injuries pile up, when the locker room turns tense, when the media starts circling, and when a quarterback’s development becomes a public debate instead of a private plan.

Cleveland has lived that reality for years. And in this specific moment, “crisis” reads like shorthand for one thing: the quarterback’s future, and the organization’s ability to align on it.

The Word Berry Kept Coming Back To: Partnership

Berry didn’t stop at leadership. He leaned hard into the idea that a head coach in Cleveland won’t be operating as a lone power center.

“It’s a partnership,” Berry said, emphasizing collaboration with ownership, the front office, and the general manager. “Because you’re really building the team and building the organization together.”

For teams that have endured coaching turnover, this is often the pivot point: do you hire a coach who demands full control, or do you hire a coach who can thrive in a shared-vision structure?

Berry’s answer telegraphed what Cleveland wants. The next coach won’t be given a blank slate to redraw the roster in his own image. The expectation is alignment — especially at quarterback, where philosophical differences can poison a building fast.

Shedeur Sanders, Brought Up — Then Avoided — Then Front and Center

Berry’s comments on Sanders carried two tones at once: praise for the player and caution about the noise that comes with him.

Berry called Sanders “a very impressive young man” and highlighted traits that teams value in a quarterback: poised, calm, smart. He even pointed to Sanders’ upbringing, noting he’s clearly been raised by a Hall of Fame father. Berry also noted the Browns would continue getting to know him over the spring.

But the real heat came from the broader conversation around those quotes — the idea that some coaches might view Sanders as baggage, not as a building block. In the commentary surrounding the interview, the message became blunt: if a coaching candidate is already suggesting the job is harder because of Sanders, that’s not caution — that’s weakness.

And that’s the tension Cleveland is now forced to manage. Sanders isn’t just a quarterback on the roster. He’s a lightning rod: social following, constant attention, and a fan base eager to turn every rep into a referendum.

The Subtext: Candidates Who “Don’t Want the Quarterback Question”

One of the most revealing parts of Berry’s interview was how he framed quarterback evaluation in the coaching process.

When asked how the quarterback situation affects the head coaching search, Berry essentially downshifted the question. He suggested it’s less about whether a candidate “likes” a quarterback and more about whether the candidate has “thoughts and planning” for the situation.

That distinction is not accidental. It’s a filter.

Berry didn’t say, “Tell us if you believe in Shedeur.” He said, in effect: show us you can coach a quarterback in the real NFL, where the quarterback comes with pressure, politics, and a spotlight you don’t control.

A coach can privately prefer a different archetype. A coach can have concerns about a young player’s flaws. But if a coach walks into the interview room without a development plan — or worse, with a plan to sideline the quarterback conversation entirely — Berry is signaling that coach will not last in Cleveland.

What Berry Actually Said About Development

Berry did not paint Sanders as a finished product. In fact, his developmental checklist was specific.

He said Sanders needs continued progress in pocket management and situational awareness, and he wants to see a “major step” heading into Week 1 next season.

That’s what a real organizational commitment sounds like. It’s not marketing. It’s not unconditional praise. It’s a front office identifying the traits that separate talented rookies from long-term starters: controlling the pocket, understanding down-and-distance, managing risk, and operating the offense with clarity when the first read isn’t open.

In other words, Berry didn’t talk like someone trying to avoid accountability. He talked like someone outlining what his quarterback must become — and implicitly, what his next head coach must be able to teach.

The Bengals Drive: The Moment Berry Pointed To

Berry also referenced a specific data point: the late-game drive against Cincinnati that set up the winning kick. He described it as a meaningful situation precisely because Sanders was not at his best earlier.

Berry’s takeaway wasn’t that Sanders played a perfect game. His takeaway was that even while “scuffling,” Sanders could settle himself and get the offense into scoring position when the Browns needed it most.

That’s the evaluation teams obsess over. NFL games regularly come down to a handful of plays. The question isn’t whether a quarterback will struggle — every quarterback does. The question is whether he can still execute under pressure, stabilize the operation, and deliver a drive when the defense knows what’s coming.

Berry essentially argued that the late drive mattered because it revealed a quarterback trait that can’t be coached into existence: response.

The Debate Cleveland Can’t Escape: Is Shedeur the Plan or Part of the Plan?

Nothing in Berry’s comments explicitly guarantees Sanders as the 2026 starter. He said the answer could be internal or external, and that the new head coach will have input.

But the tone matters. Berry didn’t speak like a GM preparing to discard a quarterback. He spoke like a GM preparing to build an infrastructure around one — while leaving enough flexibility to protect the franchise if development stalls.

That dual-track approach is how serious front offices operate. They invest in growth while maintaining contingency options. The difference in Cleveland’s case is the volume: every contingency conversation will be public, loud, and interpreted as a vote of confidence or a declaration of failure.

Coaching Search Timeline: Berry Refuses to Be Rushed

Berry also addressed the hiring timeline, acknowledging that in a vacuum you’d like to have a coach in place by the NFL combine. But he emphasized that the priority is the process and the person, not an “artificial” deadline.

He referenced the Colts’ coaching pivot years ago — the kind of example front offices love to cite when they want patience to feel like strategy rather than hesitation.

For the Browns, this stance carries real consequences. The longer the search goes, the longer Sanders goes without a head coach and coordinator to start shaping offseason priorities. But Berry is betting that getting the right coach matters more than gaining an extra couple weeks of install time.

In a quarterback-centric league, that’s a gamble Cleveland has made before — with mixed results. This time, Berry is publicly owning the choice to prioritize fit over speed.

“Don’t Waste My Time”: The Message to Candidates

The loudest interpretation of Berry’s interview is that he’s putting candidates on notice: if you’re coming to Cleveland with a plan to minimize Sanders, avoid Sanders, or quietly steer the organization away from Sanders without doing the work, don’t apply.

Now, Berry didn’t use those words. But the structure of his comments — leadership through crisis, partnership with the front office, development planning over personal preference — points to a front office that wants alignment on quarterback development even if there’s debate about quarterback ceilings.

That’s especially important for first-time head coaches or coordinators moving into the big chair. Many candidates have strong schematic identities. Fewer have proven they can handle the layered, political reality of a quarterback who dominates the discourse.

Cleveland is trying to hire someone who can do both.

What This Means for Shedeur Sanders

From Sanders’ perspective, Berry’s interview is a public signal of protection — not from criticism, but from neglect.

Young quarterbacks rarely fail because they lack talent. They fail because organizations fail to create an ecosystem that matches their strengths while forcing growth in their weaknesses. Coaching churn, shifting schemes, inconsistent messaging, and roster instability can ruin development before it ever stabilizes.

Berry’s comments suggest the Browns are trying to prevent that. He’s not promising Sanders anything. He’s promising the process: the next coach will be evaluated by whether he can lead, partner, and develop the quarterback position with intention.

For a rookie who has already lived through highs, lows, and constant scrutiny, that kind of front-office backing matters.

The Stakes: Cleveland’s Next Coach Can’t Just “Win Games”

Every coach is hired to win. But in Cleveland, the next coach is also being hired to answer a question the franchise has been asking for two decades: can we finally develop and sustain quarterback success?

Berry’s interview reframed the job description. It’s not only about culture and scheme. It’s about managing the organization’s most combustible storyline and turning it into a plan that holds under pressure.

If the Browns get that hire right, Sanders gets a real runway and Cleveland gets clarity. If they get it wrong, the cycle continues — not because the roster lacks talent, but because the building can’t stay aligned long enough to let talent mature.

What to Watch Next

As Cleveland moves deeper into the interview process, the tells will be subtle but meaningful:

Which candidates have a track record of developing young quarterbacks, not just calling plays
Whether Berry hires a coach who embraces collaboration or demands control
Whether the eventual staff build suggests commitment to Sanders’ skill set
How quickly Cleveland adds offensive line and receiving help to support quarterback development

Berry has outlined the blueprint. Now the Browns have to prove they can execute it.