Cleveland Browns: Team Confident in Offensive Line

Hue Jackson has reaffirmed what we knew—the Cleveland Browns are excited about the offensive line and doesn’t see it as the problem critics do.

In a press conference this week, Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson made a few notable comments. Perhaps the most interesting theme was that the coach suggested that, despite the 0-7 record and the fact that six different quarterbacks have taken snaps for the team, they don’t view the offensive line as the big problem.

Further, given the number of injuries this team has suffered and the performance they’ve still been able to get, the team likely does not view the offensive line the pressing issue in the upcoming free agency or the 2017 NFL Draft that many critics and fans do.

Despite saying before the season the Browns would not be trading future Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas, Hue Jackson came out again in a press conference this week to reaffirm that point of view. When asked about a rumor that was published by ProFootballTalk that the Browns were looking to get a second round pick for Joe Thomas, Hue Jackson said the following:

#Browns HC Hue Jackson said "we are not going to trade Joe Thomas."
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) October 24, 2016

Although less notable, Jackson also talked about how the quarterbacks need to do better in protecting themselves.

Per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal:

"“When we watch this with Cody, we will tell him again, ‘Hey, if you are going to get flushed, maybe throw the ball away just to save yourself a little bit from those hits,’ ” Jackson said. “We don’t want quarterbacks taking unnecessary hits. Cody has proved his toughness. He doesn’t have to do that all the time.“He can do some things better to protect himself in those situations, but it was a heck of a play that he and Gary made that gave us the chance to go score a touchdown. I don’t want to take the fight out of him, but he also has to understand the situation he is in, too.”"

This doesn’t absolve the offensive line of blame for some of the hits quarterbacks are taking, but it does underline an important point. There are a numerous examples where quarterbacks have caused their own problems.

Robert Griffin III’s shoulder injury was caused by a scramble where he took a hit going out of bounds. Cody Kessler’s concussion came on a gritty, competitive play. However, it was not a terribly smart play given the status of the quarterback position and the importance of the play at the time.

There’s no debating the point that the Browns have had issues with pass protection at various points. Cam Erving, in particular, has had some of the most obvious and embarrassing moments, which have been popular fodder on social media. It’s still not nearly as bad as critics make it out to be, though. And while the team wants to eliminate those errors, they seem comfortable with where they are because they believe in where they are going.

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The team believes that Erving and Shon Coleman are going to be their center and right tackle for years to come. They need them to get experience and become confident in the mental parts of the game, but love their physical upside and what they can do in this offense. Erving’s issues with his lung and leaving this past game with an illness have inhibited his ability to get more comfortable.

Joel Bitonio is a fantastic left guard and will soon be a priority to re-sign for the long term. John Greco has played well this season, both at right guard and at center when needed. He has one more year left on his contract after this one and it’s possible they extend him but they also have options.

Austin Pasztor has been playing right tackle this year, largely out of necessity. Yes, he can play it and is a good run blocker from that spot. However, he tends have issues in pass protection when he’s out in space against athletic edge rushers. Last year, Pasztor had some great moments as a guard in spot duty and could potentially compete for the starting right guard job but also be a swing guy that can play three spots as a backup when Coleman takes over the right tackle job.

Rookie Spencer Drango filled in at left guard this past week and will continue to get opportunities to show what he can do there. If he can be at least perform adequately, he becomes another player with the versatility to play multiple spots. Conceivably, he could play everything but center, which would provide more depth.

Drango understands what he needs to do but especially from the waist down, he needs to get stronger. In the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had some nice plays, but also had to win as a run blocker largely by position and got bullied in pass protection.

The Browns also have Alvin Bailey and recently signed Jonathan Cooper and Gabe Ikard. Cooper, the seventh-overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, has dealt with several injuries and is on his third team now. How healthy he is and how much of the promise he has to have made him such a high pick are unclear at this point.

With not even half the season played at this point and injuries mounting, the Browns may be forced to see what Cooper has in live game action. Bailey, Ikard and Austin Reiter (out for the season with a torn ACL) are likely nothing more than stopgap type players. But they may get their shot to prove themselves in training camp next year.

One other player that might have a chance to be a good player in the long term is Anthony Fabiano. The former Harvard offensive linemen missed the Senior Bowl due to an injury, but his athletic testing was outstanding. Fabiano may have played in the Ivy League, but his physical ability is about on par with Bitonio, a tremendous athlete in his own right.

Fabiano is currently on the Browns practice squad as he adjusts to the jump in competition at this level. Currently repping with the scout team, if Fabiano can make that adjustment, his potential is outstanding. In the long term, the Browns could have three tremendous athletes in the middle of their line with Bitonio, Erving and Fabiano.

Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Cleveland Browns offensive line against the Atlanta Falcons defense during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Falcons beat the Browns 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports]

As much as critics may look at the offensive line of the Cleveland Browns and want to ‘fix it’, the team really seems to like who they have and just want them to get confident and master the details. Erving’s bruised lung has proven to be a real setback as the team needs him to get all the reps he can and that has forced him to miss a few games.

To Erving’s credit, he is doing everything he can to play. This past week, he was good in the first two quarters before illness forced him to miss the second half. The week before, he was laboring through and had some issues related to the bruised lung after the game..

Erving, Coleman and Drango are going to make some mistakes due to their inexperience. Those mistakes can and have resulted in quarterbacks taking some ugly hits and no one wants that to happen. The Browns are hoping these struggles pay off for the future and specifically next year.

The Browns have four, if not all five positions planned out for next season. Joe Thomas at left tackle, Bitonio at left guard, Erving at center and Coleman at right tackle. The question is right guard, which may well mean Greco staying. He’s played well at right guard, though he’s not the ideal gap scheme powerhouse that Hue Jackson seems to want. That’s what he had in Kevin Zeitler with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Pasztor is a more traditional gap-scheme guard, powerful at the point of attack and effective on the pull. His issues in pass protection would be minimized slightly since he’s not asked to cover as much ground. This is the area where Greco has an advantage as he’s more effective in space. That could be a great competition next year with the loser becoming a valuable backup and role player.

As a result, the Browns may not be nearly as aggressive to attack the offensive line in free agency and the draft as critics might expect. If an opportunity presents itself, they should certainly jump on it, but it’s not the quagmire many want to believe.

The one exception to that is when it comes to Joe Thomas. No, they aren’t trading him. But they do need to be on the lookout for his eventual replacement. Thomas has two more years left on his contract and has given no indication that he’s going to retire before that. So the Browns are operating from a position of strength. They don’t have to rush.

Nevertheless, they do need to find someone who can become the left tackle when Thomas is gone. While they are unlikely to provide the level of play Thomas does, the offense can’t be short-circuited by the change either. Having a year or few to learn behind Thomas and get reps in practice when he’s off with the starting unit would be ideal.

A little-known aspect of the offensive line is how united and focused the offensive line room is. As it was put to me, “The O-line room is a bunch of just good guys who love and want to play football.”

Despite the injuries and various setbacks, this group is on the same page, believes in each other and is pushing for each other to succeed. They’re all headed in the same direction and that’s important and likely due in no small part to having Joe Thomas in there as a leader. It also suggests the front office is focused on bringing in the right type of players so they can breed the mindset they want in the trenches.

As much as critics may think the Browns need to focus on the offensive line in the upcoming offseason, the team seems confident in what they have, even if they aren’t there right now. Outside of having an opportunity being too good to pass up, the Browns are betting that this group is up to the challenge and that will enable them to use their resources to attack other areas of the team, especially on the defensive side of the ball.