The Browns are looking at a few different options for a new or heavily renovated stadium in the Cleveland area.
General Manager Andrew Berry, who received a contract extension earlier this offseason, told reporters in a Monday press conference that he’d prefer the next stadium be a dome.
“So I’ll say, first and foremost, from a football standpoint, any solution is like, we’re a yes, like two thumbs up,” Berry said. “Because any solution where we’re improving our home environment, where we’re improving the fan experience, like that’s going to be great for us regardless of where [it is] outdoors and indoors. I know ownership, Dave Jenkins, our local politicians are hard at work on a solution.
“If you’re asking my opinion personally, I personally think that we are paying these guys to be athletes as opposed to gladiators. So I prefer the dome solution. I prefer to be indoors. I think that’s better for the team. And I also think being in the Midwest, with the elements and everything, it’s better for our fans as well. It creates a better fan experience late in the year when we’re making those playoff pushes.”
A dome would be a significant change for the Browns’ home environment, as the team has played outdoors on the shores of Lake Erie — first at Cleveland Municipal Stadium and now at Cleveland Brown Stadium — since the team’s inception in 1946. Team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have been looking at a piece of land by the Cleveland airport in Brook Park that could potentially house a dome for the Browns.
“I do want to emphasize any solution is a good solution,” Berry said. “We’re happy whether it’s a renovation, a build, you know, whatever, because it just means that our home environment is that much more of a home field advantage here in Cleveland.”