Dawgs By Nature
After NFL free agency and the NFL draft, the Browns OT roster is either good or needs help
One thing is a constant with the Cleveland Browns: their offensive line will end up in shambles at some point.
Last season, Cleveland’s O-Line issues began early. The Browns ended up starting eight different offensive line combinations, including seven in the first eight games.
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In the Week 1 home game against the Dallas Cowboys, there was a lot of optimism in the air as Cleveland had won 11 games the year before, was the highest Wild Card seed, and had played in a playoff game. QB Deshaun Watson was expected back, and the majority of the offense was returning.
But against the Cowboys, who had gone 12-4-0 three seasons in a row, the offense was horrible with just 54 yards in the first half and a mere three points. What was supposed to be an Air Raid-style attack with receivers Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Jerry Jeudy ended up being eight catches total all game for the trio for a mere 50 yards. Ouch.
Both RT Jack Conklin (6’-6”, 308 pounds) and LT Jed Wills weren’t ready to start on opening day, so Dawand Jones (6’-8”, 374 pounds) filled in on the right side while RT James Hudson was switched and played on the left side. Neither player handled stunts or a quick outside step. Jones had multiple penalties while Hudson had the use of a tight end to help block for most of the contest. Seven Cowboys defenders had almost double-digit pressures along with six sacks, and it began at the tackle position.
For 2024, while the center position had issues with their backup players, starter Ethan Pocic only missed one game. LG Joel Bitonio played every game while RG Wyatt Teller missed four. So, the interior of the Browns’ offensive line was pretty durable.
But the offensive tackle spot? A lot of bodies and quite a few different jersey nameplates that were stitched, such as Sebastian Gutierrez, Ricky Lee, Kellen Diesch, Justin Murray, Leroy Watson IV, and Chim Okorafor.
Browns GM Andrew Berry had attempted to bring in some experienced talent during the 2024 off-season with players like Hakeem Adeniji and Germain Ifedi, who had played in 43 NFL games and 117 contests, respectively. But the injury bug hit Adeniji towards the end of training camp as he suffered a knee injury during the second preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings and was placed on season-ending IR. Ifedi played some before being named the starter from Week 9 until the end of the season.
A constant flow of offensive tackles arrived at the Berea practice facility and either started, became a backup, transitioned to the practice squad, were cut, or were placed on IR. In all, six Browns offensive linemen found IR their home, with four listed as a tackle.
Having gone through the attrition of losing players in this position group for the...
