CLEVELAND — One of the architects of the Cleveland Browns' roster has a new gig. On Wednesday, the Detroit Lions announced that they have hired John Dorsey, the Browns' former general manager, as a senior personnel executive.
Dorsey's new job in Detroit marks his first mutually since parting ways with the Browns following the team's 2019 season. Having also previously served as the general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs (2013-2016), Dorsey arrived in Cleveland near the end of the 2017 season following the firing of Sashi Brown.
Taking over a team that had just completed the second 0-16 season in NFL history but was also stockpiled with assets and cap space, Dorsey provided an immediate influx of talent to the Browns' roster. Over the course of his two years in Cleveland, the former Green Bay Packers linebacker acquired players including Jarvis Landry, Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt and Odell Beckham Jr. via trade, the draft and free agency.
But for as many hits as Dorsey had in acquiring players, he also had his fair share of misses, routinely taking his chances with players who had become available or fallen in the draft due to character concerns. Furthermore, Dorsey was responsible for hiring head coach Freddie Kitchens, who was fired after leading the Browns to a disappointing 6-10 record in his lone season in the position in 2019.
Shortly after Kitchens' departure, the Browns and Dorsey mutually parted ways. In his place, Cleveland hired Andrew Berry as its new general manager with the Browns amassed an 11-5 record en route to earning their first postseason appearance since 2002 in 2020.