The Cleveland Browns offensive line depth looks good. They’ve been productive this offseason, addressing their needs at right tackle and building a promising offensive line that you can’t shake a stick at. It’s likely they will draft a left tackle in the NFL Draft, according to Pete Smith of Sports Illustrated . Even then, the Browns offensive line is looking strong. They have starting talent that could directly lead to wins, and they have the necessary depth for real competition and injuries that may pop up.
Cleveland Browns Offensive Line Depth Looks Good
Together with Conklin, Cleveland has starting left guard Joel Bitonio and center J.C. Tretter. Rookies Wyatt Teller and Drew Forbes are talented right guard options. The Browns made a restructured deal with Chris Hubbard, making him an ideal backup option at right tackle. That frees up Kendall Lamm to be the primary left tackle option. Additionally, the team now has another center in the form of Evan Brown.
What They Have Now Could Be Enough…
According to Smith, the Browns could focus on the group they have now without making further moves, aside from drafting a left tackle. The team intends to employ a wide zone scheme and Tretter, Bitonio and Conklin are the best in the league at their respective positions. Meanwhile, Forbes, Teller and Brown have athleticism and movement skills on their side. In terms of position blocking, Hubbard and Lamm have it covered.
Offensive line coach Bill Callahan will have a group of young players to mold into the type of offensive unit Cleveland needs. If all goes according to plan, the more experienced players could have one of the best seasons of their careers.
Wyatt Teller was acquired at the beginning of the 2019 season and switched from left to right guard. He replaced Eric Kush two months in. He’s a young player with room for improvement, especially in his run blocking. Physically he’s a rock, but with some technique and flexibility, he could show functional strength in his run blocking.
Drew Forbes struggled to find his groove in his rookie year, which was further hampered by a knee injury. This year, he may finally adjust from that small program at Southeast Missouri State to the NFL. Strength, size and athleticism make him an archetypal guard for a zone scheme. He has the skills to be an elite guard. With some proper development, he can offer Tretter and Conklin more power, speed and mobility.
A positional blocker, Chris Hubbard can only excel with mobility. He needs more power or he will continue to be caved in at right tackle. Hubbard needs a lot of development. Together with Lamm though, they’re still a better backup tackle duo than most teams have.
Evan Brown Can Offer Athleticism
This will be Brown’s third season in the NFL and hopefully his best so far. He’s still young and can develop as a left guard. He already provides athleticism as a center or guard.
The Browns made it clear they didn’t want to pay for depth. A decent left tackle will be the missing piece in the puzzle. They’ll have the talent that’s needed for Callahan to transform them into one of the better offensive lines in the league.
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