According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta has had a louder voice inside the Cleveland Browns' organization in recent months.

CLEVELAND -- When the Cleveland Browns fired general manager Sashi Brown a year ago, many seemed to think it marked the end of the team's analytics era.

It appears, however, that thought may have been premature.

Following the Browns' 26-18 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports took a look at interim head coach Gregg Williams' chances of keeping his job past this season. In doing so, Robinson revealed that while general manager John Dorsey has received much of the credit for Cleveland's turnaround this season, chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta's influence inside the organization is seemingly growing.

Wrote Robinson: "After some conversations with those who know the Browns, I’m now more certain than ever that chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta has been more influential than anyone outside of the organization understands. I think everyone (including me) has been led astray about the current power structure in Cleveland. Especially where it concerns Dorsey."

To illustrate his point, Robinson pointed to the October firing of offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who many believed would succeed former head coach Hue Jackson upon whenever he was fired.

"Here’s what is clear: Haley believed he was in line to step into the interim coaching job if Hue was fired, and he got that belief from Dorsey and some of Dorsey’s subordinates on the personnel side of the organization. And when that didn’t happen and Haley was fired, he was completely blindsided by it," Robinson wrote. "Which means one of two things – either Dorsey and his subordinates stabbed Haley in the back (which they didn’t), or Dorsey was overruled in the process when it came to his chosen interim. I believe it was the latter, with DePodesta having a more significant hand in the process than anyone realized and Haslam giving the green light to fire Haley. Boiled down, I think DePodesta has more power than most people realize, while Dorsey has less."

What that means for the Browns remains unclear, but it's noteworthy nonetheless. While many assumed DePodesta's voice was diminished following the firing of Brown, the opposite appears to be true, which could be a reason the team drafted quarterback Baker Mayfield -- a darling of the analytics community.