Cleveland Browns have their center, should look at extension

J.C. Tretter has more than proven he’s the Cleveland Browns center of the present and should continue to their pivot for the future.

After an inauspicious debut against Javon Hargrave and the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first game with the Cleveland Browns, J.C. Tretter has battled injury and perhaps uncertain belief in him from the organization to establish himself as a quality center as part of the best interior offensive line in the NFL. In 2019, he will be in the final year of his deal and the Browns should be looking to extend Tretter for the long haul.

Whenever teammates or coaches are asked about Tretter, they immediately point to his toughness in dealing with the high ankle sprain that he’s been dealing with for most of the season. Tretter practices one day a week, spending the rest of the week trying to rest his leg, then goes and plays on Sundays at a high level.

Beyond his ability to tolerate pain, Tretter’s unwillingness to succumb to the injury may have everything to do with his stint with the Green Bay Packers. Tretter missed significant time with the Packers and lost a chance at the starting job there due to injuries, largely caused by teammates falling on his legs.

He couldn’t play through a broken leg, but he can play, battle through a bad high ankle sprain, which is much easier said than done. Given how well he’s played hurt, there’s plenty of reason to be excited for what he can do in 2019 when he’s fully healthy.

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It’s not entirely clear how much the Browns believed in Tretter coming into this year. After drafting Austin Corbett who failed his audition as a tackle, he moved to the interior where he was always a projected to be a better fit. After he became a backup, the Browns had him spend this season learning how to play center.

They might have been grooming Corbett to take over for Tretter or were simply giving themselves another player that could snap in a pinch. Teams usually want to carry three players that can function at center on gameday to cover their bases, so having Corbett be able to play both center and guard increases his value significantly.

That fear of having the same scenario play out in Cleveland like it did Green Bay may have spurred Tretter to play through the pain. Having a constant reminder in Corbett of how Cory Linsley ended up taking the starting center job with the Packers might have been just one more driving force for finding a way to get out there on Sunday and give everything he had.

Regardless of whether the Browns ever wavered in their belief in Tretter is interesting, but ultimately irrelevant as Tretter proved himself and they still end up with a versatile lineman in Corbett. That gives them options, including having Corbett potentially move to guard if Joel Bitonio were to move out to tackle or in the event Kevin Zeitler were to be released in 2020 due to his contract (They should re-work that deal at that point).

Since being hired, John Dorsey has stressed putting the best five linemen on the field. Corbett being cross-trained only increases the number of combinations they can play and have a quality product, whether that’s a matter of preference or necessity.

The combination of Bitonio, Tretter and Zeitler has been outstanding this season in pass protection, which has enabled Baker Mayfield to have a historic rookie year. With quarterbacks like Mayfield and Drew Brees, protecting the interior is more important than the edges. Ensuring that they have room in the pocket to step up and keep opponents from obstructing their passing lanes is critical.

That played a major role in the decision for the Browns to move Bitonio back to left guard and put Desmond Harrison in the awful position of starting left tackle as an undrafted rookie that missed half of camp with an injury. There couldn’t have been a clearer indication of where the Browns felt they needed to protect the quarterback, whether it was Mayfield or Tyrod Taylor.

They haven’t been quite as dominant in the running game, but they are doing enough to enable Nick Chubb to look like a star. Chubb’s vision and patience tend to make his offensive linemen look even better. And having a completely healthy ankle would certainly help Tretter drive block more effectively, since pushing off that foot going forward has to be agonizing.

The high ankle sprain shouldn’t have a huge impact on Tretter’s offseason. Being healthy last year was a big reason he’s had the best season of his career. He was able add more muscle, which has shown this year. Tretter hasn’t been getting driven off the ball this year. Another healthy offseason may not produce such dramatic results, but it’s only going to help him.

Tretter’s future was uncertain when Sashi Brown signed him to a three-year, $15 million contract due to the injuries. 2019 will be the last year of what has been a great deal for the Browns. He’s more than rewarded that faith and the team should start talking to Tretter about an extension, whether it’s in the offseason or during the 2019 season.

Tretter turns 28 in February, so he’s still got prime years of his career to be played. And for the Browns, keeping him and maintaining continuity in front of Mayfield has significant value. If Tretter turns in another season like he did in 2018 or even better, his value on the free agent market becomes significant.

And in this case, unless the Browns simply want to pay money early to save cap later, always an attractive option, they can simply add on to the contract he currently has, paying him $5 million for 2019 and then moving into the extension. From a salary cap standpoint, it might behoove them to practically double next year’s figure and taper off for three or four years.

Max Unger’s three-year, $22 million contract and Weston Richburg’s five-year, $47.5 million deal could potentially work as models for Tretter. He may not be quite the player Richburg is, but he’s certainly valuable and there could be a sweet spot somewhere in the middle for four years. This would give J.C. Tretter certainty he’s never had in his NFL career and give the Cleveland Browns and Mayfield certainty up front in the middle of their offensive line. Both would be worthwhile ventures.