BEREA, Ohio -- Former Colts GM Ryan Grigson is now on the right side of the Trent Richardson trade.

And Browns Vice President of Player Personnel Andrew Berry now has his former Colts boss reporting to him in the personnel department.

Grigson, who was fired by the Colts after five seasons as GM on Jan. 21, was hired by the Browns Wednesday as Senior Personnel Executive.

"Ryan brings valuable experience to our personnel group," Browns Executive Vice President Sashi Brown said in a release. "He was raised as a road scout and has been evaluating talent in this league for almost 20 years. We place a premium on that experience and on his passion for football. Ryan has much to offer to any personnel department and we are pleased that he chose to join our staff."

Grigson replaces national scout Lake Dawson, who was hired by the Bills last week as assistant director of college scouting.

"We're excited to add Ryan to our personnel department," Berry said in the release. "Having worked with him for four years with the Colts, I know Ryan is an individual with a palpable passion for scouting, a tireless work ethic and an insatiable competitive drive.

"His experiences as an NFL player and executive will prove valuable to the mission of our group, while his team-orientation and personal integrity will continue to strengthen our department's culture."

Grigson, 45, was the man responsible for acquiring Richardson in a trade with the Browns for a first-round pick in 2013. Of course, Richardson flopped in Indy, and the Browns blew the pick on Johnny Manziel. Both players are currently out of the NFL.

When the Colts cut Richardson in 2015, he told ESPN, "I was expecting this. It just didn't work out. I'm not saying anything bad about the program, but that program just didn't fit me at all. Me and the GM didn't see eye to eye. It was a bad marriage for us."

Grigson's firing by the Colts came four years after he was named Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2012 following the selection of Andrew Luck with the No. 1 pick in the draft.

The Colts went 11-5 and made the playoffs in each of Grigson's first three seasons, with two AFC South titles and an appearance in the AFC Championship Game. But they went 8-8 in each of the past two seasons, and missed the playoffs both years.

"It was gut, intuitive, instinct from looking at where we were and where we are as a franchise," team owner Jim Irsay told ESPN in January of Grigson's firing. "I think that we needed to make a change, I felt.

"We needed some new direction just in the vision of our football program. That's from talking to a lot of people and giving it a lot of thought."

Grigson enters his 19th season in an NFL front office after his stint as Colts GM from 2012-16. He was with the Eagles from 2004-11, where he rose from western regional scout to director of player personnel during his final two seasons.

Grigson also spent five seasons with the St. Louis Rams as national scout (1999-2000) and area scout (2001-03).

A former offensive lineman from Purdue, Grigson was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft.