The Cleveland Browns’ offensive line final 12 months started with principally the identical group of fellows that had been ranked #2 within the league in 2023. That’s, in Week 1. The Browns roster heading into this season, particularly on the offensive line, together with doubling up within the NFL draft at sort out, could be very totally different.
The forged of characters all had a well-recognized tune final 12 months: RT Jack Conklin, RG Wyatt Teller, C Ethan Pocic, LG Joel Bitonio, and LT Dawand Jones. These guys had all earned NFL All-Rookie Workforce honors, first and second-team All-Professional {hardware}, and their share of Professional Bowls.
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The Browns’ offensive line lineup in Week 18? RT KT Leveston, RG Teven Jenkins, C Luke Wypler/Zak Zinter, LG Bitonio, and LT Cam Robinson. The O-Line turned Bits and his seven Professional Bowls, after which all second workforce or apply squad guys.
What started so fortunately, to see a good offensive line to gauge the place this offense actually stood, ended with Bitonio making an attempt to carry collectively a Band-Support group with bungy cords.
Many offensive linemen had been free brokers, and solely Teven Jenkins was re-signed. And he wasn’t even a starter. So, Cleveland began over and cleaned home.
Teller stated his goodbyes to the Cleveland fanbase after which signed with the Houston Texans. Pocic and Conklin stay unemployed. The ultimate domino lately fell when Bitonio formally retired.
Browns GM Andrew Berry then went to work and introduced in Elgton Jenkins to compete with Wypler for the middle place, together with rookie Parker Brailsford. The brand new guards are Zion Johnson and Teven Jenkins.
At offensive sort out, in free company, RT Tytus Howard was introduced in by way of commerce from the Texans, and Spencer Fano and Austin Barber had been taken on this 12 months’s April NFL draft to compete with veteran Dawand Jones.
Together with the competitors for middle, each sort out spots don’t have clear starters at this juncture, even when many are assuming they do.
Sure, penciled in on the unofficial depth chart are Howard at proper sort out and Fano at left. However is that this actually how this may play out? What are the Browns’ choices?
Consider, aside from the middle place, guys can convert from the rightside to the left facet, and infrequently have performed each at some degree.
In an interview with former Browns offensive guard Dan Fike, the query was requested concerning what the variations are between all sides. His response:
“Right side, you are in a right-handed stance, and the left side, you are in a left-handed stance. And yes, you can jump from one side to the other. At Florida, we flip-flopped our lines during my junior and senior years so that we could play both left and right. It worked out for me, and I don’t recall it ever being an issue.”
Which all signifies that offensive linemen are largely versatile and might study to play the alternative facet, and most certainly have in some unspecified time in the future, so don’t assume they will’t swap. It’s not like making an attempt to put in a driver’s facet exterior mirror onto the passenger door.
Which gamers will find yourself beginning at every offensive sort out spot?
Tytus Howard (6’-5”, 322 kilos)
Howard was the Texans’ proper sort out for the previous two seasons. He performed and began in 93 video games for Houston since being drafted, and was thought-about Houston’s finest offensive lineman. Cleveland despatched Houston their 2026 fifth-round decide on this 12 months’s draft. Initially, he was the twenty third decide in Spherical 1 within the 2019 draft, which meant he had expertise, as evidenced by being named to the NFL All-Rookie Workforce.
As a rookie, Howard performed seven video games at RT and one sport at LG earlier than being injured with a torn meniscus that positioned him on IR. On this second NFL season, Howard began the primary 14 video games at RT however then suffered a concussion in Week 15. On this third 12 months, he performed at LG after which missed two video games as a consequence of COVID.
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Earlier than the 2022 season, the Texans picked up his fifth-year choice. He rewarded his workforce by taking part in an entire season with 17 begins at RT and receiving Professional Bowl votes, however was by no means named to the league All-Star sport or named an alternate.
On July 26, 2023, Howard and the Texans agreed to a three-year, $56 million contract extension. He broke his hand early within the season throughout a apply session. He got here again in Week 5 and performed within the 21-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and ended up with seven begins at RT. Howard began 16 video games in each the 2024 and 2025 seasons, all at RT.
In highschool, Howard performed quarterback. In school, they moved him to tight finish and at last to offensive line. There, he performed each place besides middle.
Which implies he has performed left sort out, however within the NFL, he has largely lined up at proper sort out. That’s the place he’s predicted to play and grow to be Cleveland’s starter. His backups listed are Barber and Tyre Phillips.
Spencer Fano (6’-6”, 308 kilos)
That is the participant the workforce drafted to grow to be a beginning offensive sort out. The one query stays: which facet?
It’s assumed that Fano might be earmarked for the left sort out spot, and this upcoming season, regardless of being a rookie. It isn’t surprising, as different sort out prospects have been inserted instantly, comparable to Joe Thomas, for instance. Cleveland chosen Fano within the first spherical similar to Thomas was taken, so the cred is there.
The Browns got here into the faculty draft wanting to enhance their offensive line. First off, there have been offensive tackles wanted. Berry had his alternative of each sort out within the draft as a result of none had been taken but. His alternative was Fano of Utah.
In school, Fano performed 11 video games at left sort out throughout his freshman 12 months and one contest at proper sort out, and was named an All-American on the freshman workforce. In his second season, he lined up at proper sort out for all 12 video games, after which all 12 video games at RT in his ultimate 12 months.
And now, he’s earmarked for the left sort out spot. However it’s possible that he may very well be positioned at proper sort out as a substitute if, for some purpose, Howard isn’t doing the job.
Fano is a troublesome participant who has loads of athleticism. His go safety ratio in school was 90%, whereas his run blocking was 92%. He was chosen as an All-American three years, and gained the Outland Trophy for the perfect offensive lineman within the 2025 school season.
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He ought to line up at left sort out. Is that dangerous? Berry commented that tackles are interchangeable, and O-Line coach George Warhop’s philosophy is to place the perfect 5 guys alongside the offensive line. The transition from school RT to the opposite facet is already robust. What’s extra correct is that taking part in RT in school after which being shifted over to LT on the subsequent degree simply would possibly grow to be a much bigger studying curve. Instance: Assume Jedrick Wills.
Dawand Jones (6’-8”, 374 kilos)
Editor’s notice: The load for Jones fluctuates
There stands out as the sentiment that Jones is a man the Browns can’t sit on the sidelines ready for an harm earlier than he’s inserted. He’s a street grader.
However his Professional Soccer Focus (PFF) grades over the previous three years inform a special story.
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As a rookie in 2023, he performed in 11 video games and had 712 snaps, or 87% of all offensive reps. He subbed for Conklin at RT starting in Week 2 and remained there till he turned injured himself with a knee harm. His PFF grade was 64.8 with a powerful 73.0 in go safety with two sacks, 12 pressures, and 5 penalties. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Workforce.
The next 12 months, he had simply eight begins earlier than he had season–ending surgical procedure to restore a fractured ankle. He logged 510 whole snaps with 334 at proper sort out and 176 on the left facet. His PFF grade was 30.6 with zero sacks allowed, eight pressures, and 5 penalties.
Final 12 months, Jones was harm as soon as once more. In Week 3, he suffered one other knee harm, which required season-ending surgical procedure. His abbreviated taking part in time included simply 143 offensive snaps and a PFF grade of 32.8 with a greater go blocking vary of 47.1. He had zero sacks, eight pressures, and the standard 5 penalties accepted.
The great factors for Jones are that as a result of he’s so large, his wingspan is big (7’- 3 7/8”). Towards sooner EDGE rushers, he can normally get a hand on his defender fairly shortly. Now, preserving engaged could also be one other matter, however his total technique is to push his man to the outer edges of the pocket, and maintain shoving till his protection counterpart is manner past the pocket perimeter.
Jones can also be very robust and a beast to try to get round. Normally, a defender’s finest assault is to take some type of inside trajectory as a substitute of making an attempt to go round Jones to the surface.
He’ll grow to be a really robust candidate to begin at both sort out place. It’s famous that he’ll most certainly grow to be a swing sort out and be on the prepared if anybody is injured. However his expertise, measurement, and if he involves coaching camp in form as a substitute of including girth, will make it troublesome to take a seat and wait. Earlier than Howard was introduced in by way of commerce, and Fano/Barber had been drafted, Jones was penciled in at one sort out or the opposite.
And sure, Jones has been harm and added to IR three of three seasons. And that has occurred no matter beginning or being inserted to interchange another person who turned wounded.
Austin Barber (6’-7”, 300 kilos)
One other rookie. He was taken in Spherical 3, which is a excessive spherical for a more moderen participant that may be anticipated to contribute in some vogue sooner quite than later. Actually, Berry moved up the board and made a commerce with the Los Angeles Chargers to snag Barber.
Barber is an absolute beast. He isn’t just backup materials or a possible apply squad man.
Barber began 33 video games at left sort out and two video games at proper sort out for Florida and was a two-and-a-half-year starter. In his ultimate 12 months, his PFF go blocking grade was 82.2, and he completed with the highest PFF run block grade for the Gators at 90.3.
Don’t for one second assume Barber gained’t at the least attempt to compete for the beginning left sort out place. If nothing else, he’ll present nice depth at each sort out positions.
He makes use of bounce units on play-action to crowd the runner’s path. He is ready to seal off the surface observe. Balanced slides. Good foot quickness. He’s identified for his elite run-blocking capacity, however Barber has to wash up his punch timing and lower-body approach.
Love how effectively Barber can climb to the second degree on run blocking.
Elgton Jenkins (6’-5”, 311 kilos)
Going into coaching camp, Jenkins is listed because the Browns’ beginning middle. However he has fairly a little bit of expertise on the sort out place. With the middle spot, there’s good competitors from Wypler and the rookie Brailsford. What if one in every of these two gamers find yourself being the specified athlete to play middle? That frees up Jenkins to hunt one other place.
Jenkins is a really skilled NFL athlete. He had performed in 96 video games with 94 begins coming into his eighth season. He’s a former second-round choice and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Workforce and has been voted to 2 Professional Bowls. That sort of resume shouldn’t be sitting on the bench holding a clipboard.
Bear in mind the half about Berry commenting that tackles are interchangeable, and O-Line coach George Warhop’s philosophy was to place the perfect 5 guys out on the sphere alongside the offensive line? Enter Jenkins. It simply could also be that any individual apart from Jenkins will grow to be the perfect middle candidate. In that state of affairs, Jenkins might want to transfer to a brand new place, specifically proper or left sort out.
He recorded a 72.5 PFF pass-blocking grade, a 60.6 run-blocking grade, and was chargeable for 10 pressures, allowed two sacks, and dedicated 4 penalties.
In highschool, he performed each sort out spots. At Mississippi State, he performed in 49 school video games with 34 begins: 26 at middle, 5 at left sort out, two at left guard, and one at proper sort out. Throughout his two seasons taking part in middle, he allowed only a single sack and was rated the #1 middle prospect going into the 2019 NFL draft.
As a rookie with the Inexperienced Bay Packers, he was thrown into the beginning middle place when the starter was injured in Week 3. The next 12 months, he was the Packers’ beginning middle for all 17 video games and earned his first Professional Bowl. The next 12 months, he began the season at left sort out. In 2022, He began at left guard then moved to proper sort out.
The state of affairs concerning Jenkins is that he doesn’t should be pegged because the beginning middle. But when he isn’t, he must be beginning someplace and simply occurs to have intensive sort out expertise.
How do you assume the sort out roles play out this 12 months with the Browns roster?
