Browns Executive Bolting Cleveland in ‘Stunning’ Move
Owner Jimmy Haslam (L) and Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta (R) of the Cleveland Browns look on before the game against the New York Jets at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 18, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio.
When executive Paul DePodesta came to Cleveland back in 2016 as the Chief Strategy Officer, the Browns were in rough shape. And now, in a move that surprised many, he will be leaving Cleveland to return to his roots in baseball as the new general manager of the Colorado Rockies. He’ll do so with the Browns still in rough shape, for what it’s worth.
DePodesta is, of course, a Harvard-educated athlete whose use of advanced analytics to bolster the Oakland A’s along with general manager Billy Beane more than two decades ago earned him a reputation as one of the progenitors of the “Moneyball” approach to sports management. DePodesta was portrayed, under the character name Peter Brand, by actor Jonah Hill in the “Moneyball” movie.
The Athletic described the move as, “a stunning career shift” for DePodesta.
Browns Were 56-99-1 Since Paul DePodesta Hire
It’s hard to say what impact, if any DePodesta really had with the Browns, seeing as the team went 56-99-1 during his tenure with the franchise and has currently lost 21 of its last 26 games. The Browns deserve credit over that span for building a fearsome defense around star pass-rusher Myles Garrett, but at the same time, also drafted and ditched quarterback Baker Mayfield in the span of just four years.
Mayfield has gone on to be a Pro Bowler and an MVP candidate for the Buccaneers, while the Browns followed one of the worst trades in league history–giving up three first-round picks plus two thirds and a fourth for quarterback Deshaun Watson–by handing out one of the worst contracts in league history, a fully guaranteed $230 million deal for Watson over five years.
There’s no amount of Moneyball strategy to extricate the Browns from that mess.
Some Browns Highlights From Past Decade
Still, DePodesta surely deserves some credit for the Browns glimmer of success in 2020, when an 11-5 season led to the playoffs, and again in 2023, when the team went 11-6 despite having Joe Flacco at quarterback.
He was also a Cleveland guy, at least professionally speaking. His first jobs in sports were with the Cleveland Indians’ scouting department.
“Cleveland and football have always held a special place in my heart,” DePodesta said after he was hired by the Browns, via Cleveland.com. “It was 20 years ago this month, after pursuing my first love of football and looking at every possible job in the NFL, that I got the biggest break I could imagine – a job offer from the American League Champion Cleveland Indians.
“As excited as I was then, I’m even more excited now to return to Cleveland and to try to help the Browns.”
Didn’t quite work out, of course. And, in the end, it’s not likely that the Browns will miss DePodesta much.
Cowboys Star’s Mother Refuses to Claim Body, Files Lawsuit Against Texas Police Right After Son’s Death
Just two days after the shocking death of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland
The lawsuit, filed in Collin County District Court, claims that DPS troopers “violated pursuit policy” by initiating a high-speed chase over a minor traffic infraction. According to the complaint, Marshawn had just left the Cowboys training facility and was driving home when officers attempted to pull him over on the
Dallas North Tollway on the night of November 5.
“Marshawn was not a criminal,” his mother said tearfully. “He was a good son, a dedicated player, and he was on his way to the practice facility. If the police hadn’t chosen to pursue him that night, my son would still be alive.”
Authorities previously stated that the chase began at 10:33 p.m., but troopers later lost sight of the vehicle and ended the pursuit. The car was later found crashed along
Dallas Parkway, and Kneeland was discovered nearby, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Family attorney Mark Hensley said the lawsuit seeks both accountability and policy reform, demanding that DPS ban non-essential high-speed pursuits for minor violations. “This was not law enforcement — it was a humanitarian failure,” Hensley said. “A young man with no criminal record was scared, alone, and made a tragic decision because of unnecessary escalation.”
The Dallas Cowboys organization has publicly supported the family, announcing plans to assist with legal expenses and to establish a scholarship fund in Marshawn’s name for underprivileged youth athletes. Team owner
Jerry Jones is also said to have met privately with the Kneeland family earlier this week.
Cowboys players have continued to honor their late teammate, describing him as “a silent warrior with a gentle heart.” Marshawn, 24, had just scored his
Linda Kneeland, who raised her son as a single mother, said her mission now is not revenge — but change. She revealed that Marshawn was her only child and that the team had promised to help support her and her husband as they approach retirement.
“I can’t bring my son back,” she said quietly. “But I can make sure no other mother has to lose her child to fear.”
In the heart of Texas, one family’s grief has become a call for accountability — a plea that no life, no future, and no dream should end in the name of a pursuit that never should have begun.
