Todd Monken faces a high-stakes puzzle in the trenches as rookie Spencer Fano headlines a reconstructed o-line. But one spot remains up for grabs as Cleveland Browns training camp commences.
Offensive line play is rarely considered "must-watch" at training camp, but the Cleveland Browns o-line group is set to begin theirs with a compelling group of players to monitor.
Last year, Cleveland tried to recapture a version of their offensive line that had once been one of the best in football, leaning into one last ride with the likes of Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin and Wyatt Teller. It went terribly, with injuries, as expected, ravaging the group.
That group had simply aged out, and so GM Andrew Berry wasted no time this offseason completely overhauling the entire group. The starting five to open this season is due to feature five totally different names than last year's Week 1 unit.
While most of those names are obvious heading into camp the official starting five has yet to be finalized. That sets the stage for some intriguing battles for an area of the Browns roster that boasts a lot of depth at the moment.
Projected Depth Chart
Right Tackle: Tytus Howard, Austin Barber, Tyre Phillips, Izavion Miller
Right Guard: Teven Jenkins, KT Leveston, Jack Conley
Center: Elgton Jenkins, Parker Brailsford, Luke Wypler, Kingsley Eguakun
Left Guard: Zion Johnson, Zak Zinter, Kendrick Green
Left Tackle: Spencer Fano, Dawand Jones, Jeremiah Byers
Biggest Question
Todd Monken made it clear this spring that four of the five members of the starting o-line are essentially settled and that training camp will be used to find the fifth. Who that is, is an obvious biggest question that needs answering for this group.
As things stand, Zion Johnson, Tytus Howard and Spencer Fano are all locked into their respective spots with Elgton Jenkins as the fourth clear starter, but which position he calls home is TBD. Jenkins has played guard and center throughout his career and Monken made it known he'd prefer to start him at guard – where the 30-year-old has made two Pro Bowls. Throughout the spring, though, Jenkins was generally the first man up at center.
Someone else will have to really standout at center for Monken to get his wish of playing Jenkins at guard. Perhaps rookie Parker Brailsford can take advantage of the opportunity. Otherwise, Jenkins seems destined to start in the middle of this unit with someone else emerging as a viable right guard option next to him.
Best Case Scenario
Brailsford shines during training camp and wins the starting center job to complete the Browns starting five up front, with Jenkins starting at guard. Cleveland's completely overhauled unit builds some chemistry throughout the preseason and hits the ground running immediately once the regular season begins.
The results are good enough throughout the season that Berry is credited not just with addressing the o-line, but actually fixing it with multiple new core players.
That list starts with the Browns' first, first-round pick in Fano, who overcomes some potential growing pains to prove he's the long-term solution that the team has coveted at the position since Joe Thomas retired in 2017.
Worst Case Scenario
The process of finding a fifth starter doesn't prove to be a fruitful one, leaving one spot unclear deep into camp. From there, the unit can't quite get on the same page and never becomes the strong unit Berry hoped for, leaving him going back to the drawing board next offseason to truly fix the group.
Meanwhile, Fano never masters the rookie learning curve, struggling over the course of the regular season without much growth. By the end of his first season, questions remain over whether or not he can be the team's next great franchise left tackle, or if he'll become the latest bust to try and replace Thomas.
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