Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns potentially have a huge problem with their offensive line: Both offensive tackles are injury-prone.
Did you get that? Both RT Jack Conklin and LT Dawand Jones get hurt. Frequently. That means they miss a lot of games. Conklin is entering his 10th season, with five years already with Cleveland. He has missed 35 games with his last full season in 2019 while with the Tennessee Titans. Jones has only played two seasons and has just 17 starts, so he has missed a full schedule of games so far.
RELATED: 5 BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM CLEVELAND’S FIRST PRESEASON GAME
They are both part of a group that was ranked the #3 O-Line group just two years ago, with the only roster change being LT Jed Wills in then instead of Jones. This computes that four of the five Browns starters are the same guys who made this an elite group. Raise your hand if you think that Jones is an upgrade from Wills. So, this is an improved unit that was ranked #3 the season before last.
What are the Browns’ tentative plans if, or when, either Conklin goes down, or Jones? Or both? That has already happened twice in two years.
Cleveland had several seasoned veterans on the roster who were ready to fill in, such as Hakeem Adeniji, James Hudson, Geron Christian, and Germain Ifedi. But both Hudson and Adeniji ended up on IR, and none of the foursome were re-signed for 2025 along with Wills.
Browns GM Andrew Berry did attempt to secure another quality backup by inking OT Cronelius Lucas from the Washington Commanders on March 12 during the free agency period. It was expected that Berry would then grab a young buck in the NFL draft this past April, but that came and went without another body added to the O-Line room. Undrafted rookie free agent Jason Ivey out of North Carolina A&T was added, and Cleveland did re-sign several who were on the practice squad last season.
Against the Carolina Panthers in the first preseason game, one name surfaced that seems to be able to rise above the training camp competition, and just could become the answer to another dependable backup: OT Lorenzo Thompson.
Thompson (6’-6”, 305 pounds) played offensive tackle at the University of Rhode Island, but against the Panthers, he was inserted into Joel Bitonio’s left guard spot. And he shone.
Maybe it was fitting that Thompson was playing Bitonio’s regular spot. They have some similarities.
Bitonio played for a minor college program, although still D-1 while attending Nevada. Although he grew up in Southern California and had quite a few high school accolades, the bigger Power 5 schools never reached out like nearby USC or UCLA, or other programs like Oregon, Colorado, or Washington.
Thompson had a similar trek. Despite being named First Team All-Section 3 as an offensive tackle for Cicero North High School in Syracuse, New York, which went 20-2-0 in his final two seasons, he had zero...
