Andrew Berry overhauled the Cleveland Browns offensive line with a bevy of new additions, but whether or not the group is totally fixed remains to be seen.
Andrew Berry has undeniably passed the first major test of the Cleveland Browns' 2026 offseason.
With four of the team's 2025 five Week 1 starters along the offensive line departing the franchise in free agency, an overhaul of that group was necessary and expected. Berry used the first several days of the new league year to completely transform Cleveland's offensive front.
That started with the trade he consummated with the Houston Texans to send one of the Browns' three fifth-round picks to the Space City in exchange for right tackle Tytus Howard.
The 29-year-old was arguably Houston's best lineman last season. His pff pass blocking grade of 77.1 ranked 17th among 89 qualified tackles last season. He, like most of Berry's offseason additions to this point, offers some versatility as well, having played guard and tackle during his seven-year career.
Berry was hardly done. When the NFL's legal tampering period opened up on Monday, news of Cleveland's first free agent signing came down later in the day, as Los Angeles Chargers guard Zion Johnson agreed to a three-year, $49.5 million deal.
Johnson is a bit of a mixed bag. He played the 2025 season on one of the worst fronts in football due to the Chargers' endless slew of injuries. He thrived as a run blocker, but struggled in pass protection, giving up 26 pressures and seven sacks according to PFF.
There's reason for optimism, though, that Johnson can be a key figure in helping Todd Monken bring the Browns' run game back to prominence. He also offers the versatility of playing either guard spot throughout his career, granted he was a left guard each of the last three seasons in LA.
Then there's Elgton Jenkins. A two-time Pro Bowler at guard for the Green Bay Packers, Jenkins was moved to center this past season with mixed results. He still flashed an elite pass-blocking ability, but re-adjusting to a position he hadn't played since high school came with some struggles.
How Monken plans on using him is to be determined, but once again, versatility is the key here. The same goes for guard Teven Jenkins, who spent last season with Cleveland and is returning on a one-year deal in 2026. He's played both guard spots and even a little tackle throughout his career.
It's clear Berry's o-line overhaul centered around players who can play multiple positions.
He also seemed to prioritize durability, as well. Howard has missed just two games over the last two seasons. Johnson has missed three throughout his entire career, and one of them was Week 18 of last season when Jim Harbaugh rested most of his starters ahead of the playoffs.
Between 2022-2024, Elgton Jenkins had missed only four total games. He started the first nine games of the season at center this past year before suffering a fractured fibula and missing the final eight.
Dec 23, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers guard Elgton Jenkins (74) following the game against the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau FieldStill, for a Browns team that has been ravaged by injuries to an aging group of linemen over the last few seasons, these new faces is refreshing.
It's still unclear if Joel Bitonio is part of their o-line plan for 2026. Berry and Monken have both said they'd love to have him back. It's telling, however, that Berry seemed to plan for life without the 12-year veteran. The fact that the Browns let his $23 million dead cap hit accelerate to their 2026 cap also speaks to the likelihood he may not be back either.
Whether Bitonio is back or not, Cleveland's offensive line is in much better shape today than it was throughout much of the 2025 season. Berry understood the assignment, and he deserves plenty of credit for strategically addressing the Browns' biggest needs in the trenches.
At the NFL Combine Berry referenced the Chicago Bears recent o-line rebuild as a blueprint he wanted to potentially follow, and he executed his version of it. Still, a group coming together as seamlessly as it did for Chicago is a bit of an anomaly.
It's true that when teams have great offensive linemen, especially tackles, they're rarely giving them up or letting them walk in free agency. The best o-lines in football contain homegrown pieces. Think the Philadelphia Eagles. The Buffalo Bills. The Denver Broncos.
The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks' o-line was built entirely of their own draft picks. Even the Bears team Berry praised, opened the season with two of their own draft picks starting on it.
There's a lot of chemistry and communication that must be established for an offensive line to be successful. That takes time and oftentimes it's the homegrown players who are the glue to bring the unit together.
Berry has certainly improved the offensive line. Now it's on Monken and o-line coach George Warhop to bring this group of castaways together and prove the unit is fixed.
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