5 things from Andrew Berry at NFL Annual Meetings

3. Browns didn’t seek Watson input on Akins signing

One connection that was easy to draw when the Browns signed former Texans TE Jordan Akins was that the Browns added him because of his chemistry with Watson, who played with Akins in Houston in 2018 and 2019. Perhaps Berry even asked for Watson’s own thoughts on Akins before making the move.

Berry said that wasn’t the case.

“I know perhaps that was something that after the fact maybe people assumed that we made the signing just because of that,” he said. “Jordan, we actually thought, was an impact receiver for Houston this past year. We thought he fit really nicely into the F-roll in our offense and could really be a playmaking weapon for us. That actually had nothing to do with Deshaun’s input or anything along those lines.”

Akins was indeed productive last season and set career-highs with 495 receiving yards and a team-leading five touchdowns. He’s a big target at 6-foot-4 and 243-pounds, too, and should give Watson another reliable tight end.

Any chemistry they may still have from Houston would simply be a nice bonus.

4. Why Browns liked Okoronkwo

The Browns are giving DE Obo Okoronkwo a chance to carry the mini-breakout season he built last year with the Texans, when he amassed five sacks in the last eight games.

Those were the first eight games he had ever started in a five-year career split between Los Angeles and Houston that’s been offset by multiple injuries, but he played all 17 games for the first time in 2022 and finally blossomed, and Berry echoed Okoronkwo’s sentiments about why.

“Obo had been a very highly productive player on maybe a more limited pitch count both in L.A. and early in the season with Houston, and there are many players that can be productive in a limited role, but then the question is, ‘OK, can they maintain that production over a higher volume of stats, or are they almost like relief pitchers of baseball?’ They’re not starters, but they’re relief pitchers,” Berry said. “I think the…