The Cleveland Browns have hired Philadelphia Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry as executive vice president of football operations and general manager, the team confirmed in a press release. Berry previously served as vice president of player personnel in Cleveland from 2016-18.

Before joining Cleveland for his first stint, the Harvard graduate spent seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts rising through the ranks. Berry, 32, becomes the youngest general manager in the NFL. He is also the second active African-American general manager joining Chris Grier of the Miami Dolphins. 

The first time general manager provided the details that led him to accept the position in Cleveland:

"I'm honored and blessed to lead the Football Operations of the Cleveland Browns. I'm appreciative of the Haslam family for entrusting me to be a steward of a franchise that is so rich in tradition and history. The passion for football courses through the veins of Northeast Ohio in a manner that is unique to that of any other region. Our fan base's devotion to the Browns is the catalyst for such affection for the sport. Rewarding YOU all—our loyal and faithful Dawg Pound—will energize and motivate me daily to attack the challenge ahead of us. It is for that reason that I am excited to partner with Kevin Stefanski—a coach I know our city will embrace because of his leadership skills, work ethic, humility and character—to work tirelessly and with immediate urgency toward building a winning organization that will make the people of Cleveland proud."  

Owner Jimmy Haslam was asked about his organization's diversity the day they introduced their new head coach. 

"We have been really strong supporters of the Fritz Pollard Association. John Wooten, who used to run it, is a former Brown, a great friend of ours, we talk frequently, and I actually think Kevin addressed it very well. As an organization, we need to be conscious of who we are hiring at all positions and there is particular concern on the offensive side of the ball and you heard what they did at Minnesota, so following that kind of track makes sense," Haslam said.

The Browns hired Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach early in January. During the search, Haslam stated his intentions to hire a head coach and allow that person to be involved in the team's general manager search. 

"We are going to hire the coach first and then we will do the GM search. The coach will be involved in that process but will not have the final say.  [The head coach] will not have the final say but will be heavily involved in that process. In you all's terms, we will not have an 'arranged marriage.' Let me just continue on because I think I know what you are going to ask, the coach and the GM will report to ownership as equals and obviously married up with each other," Haslam said.   

Will Brinson and the super friends discussed Cleveland's decision to hire Stefanski on recent emergency podcast of the Pick Six podcast, which is CBS Sports' daily NFL podcast. Listen wherever you download podcasts!

It is unknown whether or not Stefanski personally signed off on the hire of Berry. However, Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta zeroed in on Stefanski as his head coach of choice last offseason because of the coach's openness to the use of analytics. Berry's background is grounded in analytics as well. With a similar philosophy in mind, the organization's thinking should be stream-lined.

Vikings assistant general manager George Paton had also been a finalist before removing his name from consideration. 

Cleveland reportedly offered former general manager John Dorsey a re-structured role within the organization but the seasoned personnel executive declined, which led to a parting of ways on Dec. 31. For at least the time being, the team still employs his loyal deputies: assistant general manager Eliot Wolf and vice president of player personnel Alonzo Highsmith. 

The Browns do not have many unrestricted free agents this offseason but there are some of importance. Pro Bowl inside linebacker Joe Schobert's contract is expiring. The same is true of left tackle Greg Robinson and free safety Damarious Randall. Armed with the No. 10 overall selection, the franchise has ample assets to address their biggest offseason needs, which can be found at CBS Sports along with some potential prospects to watch.