The Cleveland Browns’ offensive line last year began with basically the same group of guys that were ranked #2 in the league in 2023. That is, in Week 1. The Browns roster heading into this season, especially on the offensive line, including doubling up in the NFL draft at tackle, is very different.
The cast of characters all had a familiar tune last year: RT Jack Conklin, RG Wyatt Teller, C Ethan Pocic, LG Joel Bitonio, and LT Dawand Jones. These guys had all earned NFL All-Rookie Team honors, first
and second-team All-Pro hardware, and their share of Pro Bowls.
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The Browns’ offensive line lineup in Week 18? RT KT Leveston, RG Teven Jenkins, C Luke Wypler/Zak Zinter, LG Bitonio, and LT Cam Robinson. The O-Line became Bits and his seven Pro Bowls, and then all second team or practice squad guys.
What began so happily, to see a decent offensive line to gauge where this offense really stood, ended with Bitonio trying to hold together a Band-Aid group with bungy cords.
Many offensive linemen were free agents, and only Teven Jenkins was re-signed. And he wasn’t even a starter. So, Cleveland started over and cleaned house.
Teller said his goodbyes to the Cleveland fanbase and then signed with the Houston Texans. Pocic and Conklin remain unemployed. The final domino recently fell when Bitonio officially retired.
Browns GM Andrew Berry then went to work and brought in Elgton Jenkins to compete with Wypler for the center position, along with rookie Parker Brailsford. The new guards are Zion Johnson and Teven Jenkins.
At offensive tackle, in free agency, RT Tytus Howard was brought in via trade from the Texans, and Spencer Fano and Austin Barber were taken in this year’s April NFL draft to compete with veteran Dawand Jones.
Offensive tackle riddle
Along with the competition for center, both tackle spots don’t have clear starters at this juncture, even if many are assuming they do.
Yes, penciled in on the unofficial depth chart are Howard at right tackle and Fano at left. But is this really how this will play out? What are the Browns’ options?
Keep in mind, except for the center position, guys can convert from the rightside to the left side, and often have played both at some level.
In an interview with former Browns offensive guard Dan Fike, the question was asked regarding what the differences are between each side. His response:
“Right side, you are in a right-handed stance, and the left side, you are in a left-handed stance. And yes, you can jump from one side to the other. At Florida, we flip-flopped our lines during my junior and senior years so that we could play both left and right. It worked out for me, and I don’t recall it ever being an issue.”
Which all means that offensive linemen are mostly versatile and can learn to play the opposite side, and most likely have at some point, so don’t assume they can’t switch. It’s not like trying to install a driver’s side outside mirror onto the passenger door.
Which players will end up starting at each offensive tackle spot?
Tytus Howard (6’-5”, 322 pounds)
Howard was the Texans’ right tackle for the past two seasons. He played and started in 93 games for Houston since being drafted, and was considered Houston’s best offensive lineman. Cleveland sent Houston their 2026 fifth-round pick in this year’s draft. Originally, he was the 23rd pick in Round 1 in the 2019 draft, which meant he had talent, as evidenced by being named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
As a rookie, Howard played seven games at RT and one game at LG before being injured with a torn meniscus that placed him on IR. In this second NFL season, Howard started the first 14 games at RT but then suffered a concussion in Week 15. In this third year, he played at LG and then missed two games due to COVID.
Before the 2022 season, the Texans picked up his fifth-year option. He rewarded his team by playing a complete season with 17 starts at RT and receiving Pro Bowl votes, but was never named to the league All-Star game or named an alternate.
On July 26, 2023, Howard and the Texans agreed to a three-year, $56 million contract extension. He broke his hand early in the season during a practice session. He came back in Week 5 and played in the 21-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and ended up with seven starts at RT. Howard started 16 games in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons, all at RT.
In high school, Howard played quarterback. In college, they moved him to tight end and finally to offensive line. There, he played every position except center.
Which means he has played left tackle, but in the NFL, he has mostly lined up at right tackle. That is where he is predicted to play and become Cleveland’s starter. His backups listed are Barber and Tyre Phillips.
Spencer Fano (6’-6”, 308 pounds)
This is the player the team drafted to become a starting offensive tackle. The only question remains: which side?
It is assumed that Fano will be earmarked for the left tackle spot, and this upcoming season, despite being a rookie. It is not unexpected, as other tackle prospects have been inserted right away, such as Joe Thomas, for example. Cleveland selected Fano in the first round just like Thomas was taken, so the cred is there.
The Browns came into the college draft wanting to improve their offensive line. First off, there were offensive tackles needed. Berry had his choice of every tackle in the draft because none had been taken yet. His choice was Fano of Utah.
In college, Fano played 11 games at left tackle during his freshman year and one contest at right tackle, and was named an All-American on the freshman team. In his second season, he lined up at right tackle for all 12 games, and then all 12 games at RT in his final year.
And now, he is earmarked for the left tackle spot. But it is feasible that he could be placed at right tackle instead if, for some reason, Howard isn’t doing the job.
Fano is a tough player who has plenty of athleticism. His pass protection ratio in college was 90%, while his run blocking was 92%. He was selected as an All-American three years, and won the Outland Trophy for the best offensive lineman in the 2025 college season.
He should line up at left tackle. Is that risky? Berry commented that tackles are interchangeable, and O-Line coach George Warhop’s philosophy is to put the best five guys along the offensive line. The transition from college RT to the other side is already tough. What is more accurate is that playing RT in college and then being shifted over to LT at the next level just might become a bigger learning curve. Example: Think Jedrick Wills.
Dawand Jones (6’-8”, 374 pounds)
Editor’s note: The weight for Jones fluctuates
There may be the sentiment that Jones is a guy the Browns can’t sit on the sidelines waiting for an injury before he is inserted. He is a road grader.
But his Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades over the past three years tell a different story.
As a rookie in 2023, he played in 11 games and had 712 snaps, or 87% of all offensive reps. He subbed for Conklin at RT beginning in Week 2 and remained there until he became injured himself with a knee injury. His PFF grade was 64.8 with an impressive 73.0 in pass protection with two sacks, 12 pressures, and five penalties. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
The following year, he had just eight starts before he had season–ending surgery to repair a fractured ankle. He logged 510 total snaps with 334 at right tackle and 176 on the left side. His PFF grade was 30.6 with zero sacks allowed, eight pressures, and five penalties.
Last year, Jones was hurt once again. In Week 3, he suffered another knee injury, which required season-ending surgery. His abbreviated playing time included just 143 offensive snaps and a PFF grade of 32.8 with a better pass blocking range of 47.1. He had zero sacks, eight pressures, and the usual five penalties accepted.
The good points for Jones are that because he is so big, his wingspan is huge (7’- 3 7/8”). Against faster EDGE rushers, he can usually get a hand on his defender pretty quickly. Now, keeping engaged may be another matter, but his entire strategy is to push his man to the outer edges of the pocket, and keep shoving until his defense counterpart is way beyond the pocket perimeter.
Jones is also very strong and a beast to attempt to get around. Usually, a defender’s best attack is to take some sort of inside trajectory instead of trying to go around Jones to the outside.
He will become a very strong candidate to start at either tackle position. It is noted that he will most likely become a swing tackle and be at the ready if anyone is injured. But his experience, size, and if he comes to training camp in shape instead of adding girth, will make it difficult to sit and wait. Before Howard was brought in via trade, and Fano/Barber were drafted, Jones was penciled in at one tackle or the other.
And yes, Jones has been hurt and added to IR three of three seasons. And that has happened regardless of starting or being inserted to replace someone else who became wounded.
Austin Barber (6’-7”, 300 pounds)
Another rookie. He was taken in Round 3, which is a high round for a newer player that would be expected to contribute in some fashion sooner rather than later. In fact, Berry moved up the board and made a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers to snag Barber.
Barber is an absolute beast. He is not just backup material or a probable practice squad guy.
Barber started 33 games at left tackle and two games at right tackle for Florida and was a two-and-a-half-year starter. In his final year, his PFF pass blocking grade was 82.2, and he finished with the top PFF run block grade for the Gators at 90.3.
Do not for one second think Barber won’t at least try to compete for the starting left tackle position. If nothing else, he will provide great depth at both tackle positions.
He uses jump sets on play-action to crowd the runner’s path. He is able to seal off the outside track. Balanced slides. Good foot quickness. He is known for his elite run-blocking ability, but Barber has to clean up his punch timing and lower-body technique.
Love how well Barber can climb to the second level on run blocking.
Elgton Jenkins (6′-5″, 311 pounds)
Going into training camp, Jenkins is listed as the Browns’ starting center. But he has quite a bit of experience at the tackle position. With the center spot, there is good competition from Wypler and the rookie Brailsford. What if one of these two players end up being the desired athlete to play center? That frees up Jenkins to seek another position.
Jenkins is a very experienced NFL athlete. He had played in 96 games with 94 starts entering his eighth season. He is a former second-round selection and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team and has been voted to two Pro Bowls. That type of resume should not be sitting on the bench holding a clipboard.
Remember the part about Berry commenting that tackles are interchangeable, and O-Line coach George Warhop’s philosophy was to put the best five guys out on the field along the offensive line? Enter Jenkins. It just may be that somebody other than Jenkins will become the best center candidate. In that scenario, Jenkins will need to move to a new position, namely right or left tackle.
He recorded a 72.5 PFF pass-blocking grade, a 60.6 run-blocking grade, and was responsible for 10 pressures, allowed two sacks, and committed four penalties.
In high school, he played both tackle spots. At Mississippi State, he played in 49 college games with 34 starts: 26 at center, five at left tackle, two at left guard, and one at right tackle. During his two seasons playing center, he allowed just a single sack and was rated the #1 center prospect going into the 2019 NFL draft.
As a rookie with the Green Bay Packers, he was thrown into the starting center position when the starter was injured in Week 3. The following year, he was the Packers’ starting center for all 17 games and earned his first Pro Bowl. The following year, he started the season at left tackle. In 2022, He started at left guard then moved to right tackle.
The situation regarding Jenkins is that he doesn’t have to be pegged as the starting center. But if he isn’t, he needs to be starting somewhere and just happens to have extensive tackle experience.
How do you think the tackle roles play out this year with the Browns roster?
