The Cleveland Browns have been trying to institute a more analytics-driven approach in recent years, which was evident when they hired former baseball scout and executive Paul DePodesta as their chief strategy officer back in 2016. Now that the Browns are moving on from general manager John Dorsey, they may be making an even bigger commitment to that strategy.
Dorsey and the Browns mutually agreed to part ways on Tuesday, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media says DePodesta could be given more control over the team’s football operations department going forward.
The name to watch, of course, is Paul DePodesta. He’s the chief strategy officer with the #Browns. He should have more say. https://t.co/CUdLejruc1
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 31, 2019
Dorsey met with Browns owner Jimmy Haslam on Tuesday, and all indications are that the Browns wanted to strip him of some of his power. Not surprisingly, he did not agree to that. Dorsey is an old-school football guy who reluctantly tried to incorporate analytics into his job in Cleveland, but the Browns appear to be leaning further in that direction now.
DePodesta worked as an assistant to general manager Billy Beane with the Oakland A’s two decades ago, and he played a big role in the “Moneyball” approach that made the team famous. He was then named the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers at age 31 before working for the San Diego Padres and eventually being hired as vice president of player development and scouting with the New York Mets. The former Harvard football and baseball player landed with the Browns in January 2016.
After he was first hired by the Browns, DePodesta said other NFL officials mocked him and the Browns over his baseball background. He said he heard similar talk during his time with the A’s and embraces it. He’s still aiming to prove the doubters wrong in Cleveland after an incredibly disappointing season.
