Where's the pressure?

As a general rule, the most pressure to succeed in the NationalFootball League rests predominantly with the players. The level of a team's success lies almost strictly with how they perform.

That will not be the case this season with the Browns. Not after three seasons with the Andrew Berry-Kevin Stefanski regime. That honeymoon is over. 

After one didn't-see-that-coming season in 2020 that fooled a large portion of Browns Nation who believed the dawn of a new era of winning football had arrived, the Berry-Stefanski tandem has descended into mediocrity (15-19) the last two seasons.

The initial luster of 2020 has worn off. How well -- or poorly -- the Browns play this season very well could determine whether there will be a fifth season for them in Cleveland. Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam III have been extraordinarily patient up to this point with their general manager and head coach.

Of course, they won't share their thoughts publicly. But Berry and Stefanski have to know one more season like the last two will seriously move the needle. And not in the direction they desire. That's where the majority of the pressure lies now.

With quarterback Deshaun Watson primed and ready to put in a full season and Stefanski substantially improving his coaching staff with two new coordinators, whose previous success precedes them, nothing less than a return to the postseason will save their jobs. 

Berry is the key to whatever success 2023 will bring. But his track record of drafting the last three seasons has been spotty at best. He has not drafted one impact player with his 24 selections. Not true? Can you name one? I can't. 

Contributors yes. But not the kind of contributors who can be counted on to change the course of a game; those whose playmaking often means the difference between winning and losing. Berry has yet to land one in 24 cracks.

Jedrick Wills Jr.? No way. The high first-rounder in 2020 is arguably average. You don't want average playing left tackle for a right-handed quarterback. At best, he has been a disappointment in his first three seasons. At worst, a huge disappointment.

Donovan Peoples-Jones? Not yet, but the signs are there for the 2020 sixth-round wide receiver. His only problem is inconsistency. He can be terrific for a week or two, then disappear for the same period when Stefanski reduces his targets for some unknown reason.

The precious few impact players on this team (Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller and Denzel Ward) were either drafted or traded for by Berry's predecessors. Others (Jack Conklin and Amari Cooper) were obtained via trade by him.

Because a horrible decision by the Haslams to sacrifice the future for the present -- think Watson -- robs Berry of the opportunity to select one of the nation's top players in the first round for the second straight year (with one more after that), the need to win now has a much tighter window.

When Berry arrived back in Cleveland for his second front-office stint in 2020, it was with the belief he could improve on what was becoming a strong contender with a talented roster. He hasn't come even close.

His history of drafting too many cornerbacks, smallish linebackers, speedy wide receivers with questionable college stats, linemen on both sides of the ball who did not excel in college, and constant maneuvering up and down the draft panning for future capital appears to have tarnished what was thought to be his draft savvy.

Unlike a few notable National Football League general managers, Berry has had no luck unearthing a gem or two during the third day of the lottery. -- rounds four through seven. Those taken generally make the final roster to make the GM look good, but no one has broken through and stood out in three seasons.

That needs to change. The question is whether Berry is up to the challenge. The answer could determine his -- and Stefanski's -- future in Cleveland.