What s next for Browns after finishing Watson draft pick payments

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BEREA, OHIO -- The thought hadn't crossed Browns general manager Andrew Berry's mind. But the end of the 2024 NFL draft marked a milestone in the team's trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Cleveland, which in March 2022 sent six draft picks to the Houston Texans for Watson and a 2024 sixth-rounder (which was used in the deal this offseason for wide receiver Jerry Jeudy), no longer owed any picks to Houston in the blockbuster deal.

"I haven't thought about it that way or spent any time reflecting on it," Berry said Saturday night. "I really just look at it as, 'Hey, here are resources in a given year. How do we best apply them to the team to make it better in the short and long term?' So that's not something I really think about."

The returns for the Browns are still undetermined. Cleveland made the playoffs last season but did so without Watson, who underwent season-ending surgery on his throwing shoulder in November. Watson has yet to recapture his Pro Bowl form from his time in Houston and has played in only 12 games due to injuries in 2023 and his 2022 suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions.

Berry, though, said he's looking forward to having a full slate of picks in 2025 -- including one in the first round for the first time since 2021 -- and that efforts to build the roster aren't over after making just six selections over the weekend.

In 2025, the Browns will have their own picks in Rounds 1 to 4, as well as in the sixth round. Cleveland will also have an extra pair of sixth-rounders and a seventh-rounder as part of the trade for pass-rusher Za'Darius Smith last offseason and the deal that sent wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Detroit Lions at last season's trade deadline.

"How we deploy them, we'll see over the next year," Berry said of the picks.

With the Browns' first pick in 2024 coming at No. 54 and with just two selections in the top 150, expectations for a great haul were kept to a minimum. However, a strong roster with few holes allowed the team to add depth after sitting out the opening night.

The Browns did so on Day 2 with their selection of Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. and Michigan guard Zak Zinter in the second and third rounds, respectively. While Zinter, who is returning from a fractured fibia and tibia suffered in November, will back up starters Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller as a rookie, Hall has the potential to work his way into Cleveland's defensive line rotation.

"The way I would describe him is a shapeshifter," assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel Glenn Cook said. "The way he can move his body, the way he can attack the quarterback. Probably next to Andrew, the happiest person [about the pick] was [defensive coordinator] Jim Schwartz. With our attacking style, he fits our motto and style. Really excited with his ability, upside and his ability to impact the quarterback."

The Browns' six-player draft class, though, didn't include an offensive playmaker who figures to contribute significantly in 2024. The team used just one pick on a skill position -- fifth-round wide receiver Jamari Thrash -- and two total on offense.

"I'll be honest, probably going to the draft, if you would have asked me how it would have shaped out, it probably would have been the other way, just because of some of the strengths and weaknesses of the draft class," Berry said. "So, it's just another reminder to us that you just have to stay flexible and adaptable with what the board throws at you. But we're excited about the group of young men that we've added."

As Berry also noted, the Browns have a track record of finding veteran contributors after the draft. Last year, Cleveland traded for Smith weeks after the 2023 NFL draft. And in August, the team signed defensive tackle Shelby Harris. The duo started a combined 23 games for a defense that allowed the fewest yards in the NFL.

"We feel good about the health and depth of the roster," Berry said. "We won't know until we get to the fall because, as I say, every year guys surprise you in both directions, and things change fast in the NFL, as we see. So, as we sit here today, though, we're happy with where we stand. We're not satisfied, and we know that we still have work to do and areas to bolster and supplement, but we do feel good about the health as we stand today."