As the Cleveland Browns offensive line continues to gel, an ominous injury update for center Elgton Jenkins could leave the group short-handed against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
It's no easy feat to overhaul an entire offensive line in one offseason, but Cleveland Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Andrew Berry found a way to pull it off.
Three games into the season, though, the group is still working through some growing pains as they try to become a cohesive unit. That may get a little harder on Thursday night when the Browns host the Pittsburgh Steelers to open up Week 4.
That's because veteran center Elgton Jenkins was a new addition to the team's practice report this week with a concussion. As he works through the league's concussion protocol, he was listed as a "did not practice" over each of the last two days. That doesn't bode well for Jenkins being active come Thursday.
Todd Monken did reveal on Tuesday that if Jenkins is in fact unable to clear the protocol in time then the next man up at center would be 2023 sixth-round pick Luke Wypler. Rookie Parker Brailsford, who has yet to be active for a game this season, would serve as the backup center.
Through his first three seasons, Wypler has appeared in 25 games and made six total starts, five of which came last season. Wypler also missed the entire 2024 campaign due to an ankle injury he suffered during the preseason. He was placed on season-ending IR several weeks later around the time of roster cut-down day.
Wypler was believed to be on the roster bubble at the start of training camp this year, but while Brailsford dealt with a lingering injury to his thumb, keeping Wypler ultimately became a necessity.
He's certainly a capable backup to turn to in Jenkins' absence. The bigger issue lies in the fact that this new o-line needs as many reps together as possible to continue building chemistry and improving.
Through these first three weeks of the season, Cleveland ranks 29th in rushing offense in terms of yards per game (87.7) and yards per attempt (3.5). According to PFF, Cleveland's o-line has graded out 28th in run blocking. The group has been much more reliable in pass protection, though, where they rank fourth overall.
There's still a chance that Jenkins clears the protocol in time for Thursday. The Browns have one more day of practice on Wednesday, which Monken said would essentially be a "jog through." Even if Jenkins doesn't participate in that, he could be cleared on Thursday and still end up playing against Pittsburgh despite not practicing all week.
Time will ultimately tell whether or not Jenkins will be cleared and active, but if he can't he'll be sorely missed against a Steelers d-line that is top 10 in sacks already this season.
