Overview
- General manager Andrew Berry addressed fans after the coaching change, promising to find the right leader and assemble a roster geared for sustained success.
- Local reporting describes Berry as under intense pressure heading into a career-defining year despite being retained.
- Owner Jimmy Haslam previously acknowledged the Watson trade as a mistake after sending three first-round picks to Houston and authorizing a $230 million fully guaranteed contract.
- Reporting cites a roughly $175 million Watson-related dead-cap charge that has limited flexibility and complicated short‑term roster decisions.
- Rookie Shedeur Sanders, drafted in the fifth round after Dillon Gabriel, took over as QB1 by Week 12, fueling questions about the quarterback plan with Deshaun Watson expected to be available next season.