Browns' First 'Unofficial' Depth Chart Hints At Starting RG

Todd Monken has known for a while who four of the five Cleveland Browns starting o-linemen would be. Training camp and the preseason was meant to provide a final picture of who the last starter would be. 

There were always a few options for Monken. If rookie center Parker Brailsford had put together a strong camp, he could have earned a starting role and bumped veteran Elgton Jenkins to his more natural guard position. 

Unfortunately, a lingering injury kept Brailsford off the practice field for several weeks and nothing ever really materialized with him. That left Teven Jenkins duking it out with several others for the starting right guard spot. 

As recently as last week, rookie tackle Austin Barber's name remained in the mix for the role. The Florida product had opened camp as a tackle, but bumped inside for a test run at guard during the preseason and handled it pretty well. 

That left Monken notably revealing that the competition between Jenkins and Barber was still on last week, especially as Jenkins continued nursing an injury that kept him out of at least one practice. 

After the long holiday weekend, Monken wasn't willing to reveal where things stood with the final starting role on the o-line. Jenkins was back at practice, though, and at least during the open part of practice appeared to be working alongside starting right tackle Tytus Howard. 

More context clues arrived on Tuesday, as the Browns released their first "unofficial" depth chart ahead of Week 1. And while the word "unofficial" is key, Jenkins is notably listed as the starting RG leading into Sunday's road season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

All signs appear to be pointing toward Jenkins being the starting right guard, at least initially. From right to left, the starting group is at least projected to feature Howard at right tackle, Teven Jenkins at right guard, Elgton Jenkins at center, Zion Johnson at left guard and rookie Spencer Fano at left tackle. 

Teven Jenkins is the only member of that starting group who was a member of the Browns last season, after General Manager Andrew Berry worked to overhaul the entire unit this offseason. 

How the new-look group comes together in the coming weeks could determine just how productive Cleveland's offense will be as a whole this year. In 2025, the Browns offense ranked 31st overall in scoring, along with boasting the second worst passing attack in the NFL and ranking bottom third in rushing.