Eagles Bring in Andrew Berry as VP of Football Operations

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The Eagles officially announced the changes to their coaching staff for the 2019 season and a significant addition to their football operations department, hiring former Cleveland Browns executive Andrew Berry as vice president of football operations.

Berry, a Sashi Brown lieutenant in Cleveland, is entering into a newly created position at the feet of the executive VP of football operations Howie Roseman. Alec Halaby, who currently holds the title of vice president of football operations and strategy, will remain with the organization but it's unclear if his role will change with the addition of Berry.

Berry's reputation from a source in Cleveland takes on an analytic bent and it's likely he will have a significant role when it comes to that part of the equation with the Eagles.

However, Berry spent three seasons in Cleveland when Brown brought him in to oversee their personnel department, described "as helps lead all talent evaluation efforts for the club, including college prospects and NFL free agents,” according to the Browns media guide.

Before arriving in Cleveland, Berry, a Harvard grad with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in computer science, worked for the Indianapolis Colts for seven years, starting as a scouting assistant before being promoted to a pro scout and ultimately pro scouting coordinator for his final four years there.

On the field, Berry started all four years for the Crimson at cornerback and was All-Ivy League three times.

Interestingly, this job was described as a promotion for Berry on the Cleveland end and the highly-regarded Joe Douglas is in charge of the personnel department for the Eagles.

Douglas, however, is expected to be sought after during the personnel hiring cycle, which generally begins after the draft and Berry being brought in could be an indication that the Eagles are concerned about losing Douglas.

When Doug Pederson and Roseman's contracts were extended through 2022 back in August of last year, Douglas' name was notably absent and a source close to Douglas admitted that a GM position is the ultimate goal for him.

The Houston Texans requested permission to interview Douglas for their GM opening last January but the Eagles blocked that because Douglas was under contract.

In the NFL, the GM spot is often semantics and with Philadelphia, Roseman has the final say over all personnel decisions, something that isn't changing.

Furthermore, the Eagles are about to enter a different phase of roster building after Carson Wentz's big-money extension gets done and Berry's reputation as a data-driven decision-maker becomes more important when it comes to finding cheaper options as contributors on the back end of the 53-man roster.

COACHING STAFF CHANGES

The Eagles also confirmed the previously-reported promotions of Phillip Daniels as defensive line coach and Carson Walch as receivers coach, replacing Chris Wilson and Gunter Brewer.

The organization also put the stamp on other reported changes like former Miami defensive coordinator Matt Burke reuniting with Jim Schwartz as a defensive special assistant while former training camp utility knife G.J. Kinne joining the staff as an offensive coach helping with special projects.

Roy Istvan takes over as assistant offensive line coach for Eugene Chung and other additions are former long snapper Mike Bartrum as assistant tight ends coach, Matthew Harper as assistant wide receivers coach, T.J. Paganetti as assistant running backs coach and Luke Thompson as assistant special teams coach.

Joe Pannunzio was also hired as director of team development.

On the football operations side, along with the Berry hire, the Eagles brought in Jeremiah Washburn, the son of Jim Washburn, as an advanced projects coordinator and promoted Greg Delimitros to vice president of equipment operations, Patrick Dolan to vice president of football technology and Jon Ferrari to vice president of football operations and compliance.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen