The Cleveland Browns offensive line has been rated one of the league’s best for the last several seasons. Entering 2023, PFF rated the unit No. 2 in the league, just behind the reigning NFC Champs, the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Browns offensive line took a significant hit during Sunday’s big win over the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. Right tackle Jack Conklin suffered a season-ending knee injury, tearing his ACL and MCL before being taken off the field on the cart.
With Conklin heading to injured reserve, who will anchor the right side of the Browns offensive line?
Next Man Up for the Browns Offensive Line After Jack Conklin Injury
Dawand Jones is not a small man. At 6-8, 374lbs, he’s an imposing figure on the right side of the offensive line. Or any line, for that matter.
Jones not only played football but also basketball in high school. At Ohio State, he saw time as a freshman right out of the gate. In four years, he allowed just 12 QB hurries, just one QB hit, and three sacks in 31 games. In his senior year, he graded out at 91% in pass blocking and 96% in run blocking.
Yet, he fell to the Browns offensive line in the fourth round of the draft. There were concerns among scouts that he might be too big. His footwork was slow at times, and the few times he was beaten, he was beaten low. In addition, the NFL has recently favored a zone-blocking system, which prefers a leaner, more athletic offensive lineman.
Jones Impresses Early
The Browns offensive line coaches expected Jones to develop into a long-term replacement for offensive tackle Jed Willis, who is in a contract year, or perhaps for Conklin when the latter’s contract is up in three years. They didn’t expect Jones to be pressed into immediate service in the first game of his rookie season.
But when Conklin went down, Jones was the man Stefanski tabbed to take his place. The Bengals had stifled Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson with a fierce pass rush, but Cleveland held a slim lead. From the time Jones hit the field, the pass rush slowed. In fact, in Jones’ first-ever NFL game against a division rival with Super Bowl aspirations, he allowed zero sacks, zero pressures, and zero QB hurries.
But while Jones is the next man up for the Browns, the next man up for Jones is all-world defensive end Steelers T.J. Watt. No doubt that Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is licking his chops at the idea of turning the former Defensive Player of the Year loose on a rookie fourth-round pick making his first NFL start. Though Watt gives up nearly 125 pounds to Watt, Watt already has notched three sacks, five QB hurries, and a forced fumble in just a single game. The Steelers will be playing with a huge chip on their shoulder after a horrible 30-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week.
Browns Offensive Line Bench is Deep
Starting a fourth-round rookie on some teams could be seen as poor personnel planning. But it’s a mark of how Jones has impressed the coaching staff that he’s the next man up for Conklin.
Jones is not the only option for the Browns offensive line. Jones narrowly beat out the incumbent backup James Hudson, a fourth-round choice himself. Hudson played in every game for the Browns last season, starting three. The team also promoted Michael Dunn back to the active roster. Dunn has played in 22 games in the last two seasons, starting four. Both were key reserves for the Browns offensive line, which has been consistently rated at the top of the league.
Few teams could handle the loss of a major piece of their offensive line so soon in the season. It remains to be seen how Jones will handle the remaining 16 games, including two against the aforementioned Watt. But he’s off to a good start.
Main Photo: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
