The Cleveland Browns have a Left Tackle Problem
As the Cleveland Browns season approaches, the front office is engaging in the ongoing arms race in the AFC by targeting 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but they might be neglecting a gaping hole in their offense. A lack of protection for their quarterback’s blindside.
The Browns O-line room suffered enough injuries last season to keep all the arthroscopic surgeons in the Northeast Ohio area busy for a few months, with Jack Conklin, Jedrick Wills and Dawand Jones all suffering knee injuries that required surgery.
Jones had made his return to the lineup after recovery and has looked better than ever in his right tackle spot - the side that he played at Ohio State, and the side he is most comfortable with. Jones is well suited for the right side of the line, and has shown an ability to shut down the likes of NFL superstars such as TJ Watt, who always rushes over the right tackle. [Yes, we put video here because it’s never too early to be petty against the Steelers.]
This leaves the left side of the line open - who will fill the gap? Conklin and Wills have both held back from practicing this training camp, as they continue to rehab their knee injuries, and the delay is causing some concern for Browns fans.
It is a little bit unfair grading the o-line’s performance against the best pass rush in football, but when the coaches are having to tell Myles Garrett to take a few plays easy so the offense can get some quality reps, you know the left tackle is having a bad day. The left tackle in this case is James Hudson, on his 4th season in Cleveland, where he has mostly operated as a backup tackle filling in on either side of the line when needed. Hudson has had a disastrous camp, and is showing that he cannot handle the full workload required for a starting left tackle in the NFL. Even when Garrett isn't on the field, or when he is over the right tackle, the left side of the line is having trouble keeping the pocket clean for Deshaun Watson.
It is clear that Hudson is not a long term solution at the left tackle position, so what options do the Browns have? Jack Conklin is still working to get back from a particularly catastrophic knee injury in Week 1 last year (caused by a missed block from Jedrick Wills). At this point if Conklin makes the 53-man roster it will be a pleasant surprise. Presently, he can't be counted on to be the backbone of the o-line.
Jed Wills hasn't done any team work all camp, has not looked particularly enthusiastic about his rehab. One of the chief complaints Browns fans have about Jed wills is that it seems like he doesn't really give a damn - videos of him doing half-hearted rehab on the sideline don't do much to assuage those concerns.
Jed’s rookie contract is up at the end of this season, which means he could cash in on a generous payday if he plays to his potential - the going rate for top end left tackles is $25m/year or more. You would think that would light a fire under a guy's ass, but some people just can't get out of their own way.
In an ideal world, Jed would come back from the weekend healthy, start practicing and play like a first round tackle should for the balance of the year and then get a nice fat payday. In this fairytale dream world, Jack Conklin also comes back healthy and plays the role of a really expensive, high quality swing tackle to add some depth to the room.
The worst case, and unfortunately more likely scenario is that Jack Conklin never comes back from his injury - he’s nearly 30 and his knee got blown up similar to Nick Chubb's - retirement might be more realistic than anything. In this doomsday timeline, Jed Wills continues to rehab all training camp and comes back just-in-time to start week one. Due to rushing back from an ACL he never really returns to form - he splits snaps with James Hudson as he finds his footing, and Micah Parsons has all too much fun at the expense of Browns fans in week one.
In this scenario, left tackle is the Achilles heel of the Browns offense and is the sole reason they don't achieve their postseason goals. The position then is addressed in the offseason and the Browns use their only first round pick in the last three years to pick a left tackle. Again.
Due to the value of the position and the scarcity of talent, there are no starting caliber offensive tackles on the open market. And regrettably, the Browns no longer have Bill Calahan to rely on, who usually would find some practice squad left tackle that he could mold into a Pro Bowler. Instead, the Browns are left to hold their breath and hope that the outcome for left tackle is more like the fairytale dream scenario than the doomsday.
I have never known this front office to sit on their hands and hope, but I’m not sure what other options they have.