The Cleveland Browns have the well-intentioned plan of using their five best offensive lineman as the starting unit, with the positions to be sorted out depending on who they are. However, that may prove to be better as an idea than as a reality.
The starting tackles are likely set, with offseason trade acquisition Tytus Howard on the right side and first-round draft pick Spencer Fano on the left side. That comes with its own set of questions, as Fano is an X-factor being asked to make a difficult switch after playing his final two college seasons as a right tackle.
Free agent signee Zion Johnson is expected to be the left guard, which leaves several potential combinations at center and right guard. How that is resolved could be the key to the success of the line, and consequently, the offense as a whole.
Analyst Nathan Zegura revealed a glaring concern about the Browns’ offensive line, and it is the uncertainty in the middle.
“It’s gonna be the interior. That’s the part of it that is the least settled. We don’t know who’s going to play center, whether it’s going to be Elgton Jenkins, Parker Brailsford, or Luke Wypler. Then, we don’t know at right guard. If it’s Brailsford or Wypler at center, then Elgton Jenkins will go to right guard. He’s been a Pro Bowl guard, but he’s a two-time Pro Bowler at left guard. Hasn’t really played right guard at all in the NFL. That part of it to me is what is going to be fascinating. It would not surprise me, with as good as Dawand Jones looks, they decide to kick him into guard to give him opportunities,” Zegura said.
"It's gonna be the interior, that's the part of it that's the least settled. We don't know who's going to play Center, we don't know at right guard… It would not surprise me, with as good as Dawand Jones looks, if they decide to kick him into guard to give him opportunities."… pic.twitter.com/XPbu4OC62h
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) July 31, 2026
Jenkins was signed as a free agent this offseason as the potential starting center. But the Browns were able to select Brailsford in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and even as a rookie, he could emerge as the best option at the position. If he or Wypler, who started five games for Cleveland last season, does impress, that would allow Jenkins to move to right guard, after he was a two-time Pro Bowl selection at left guard with the Green Bay Packers.
Returning players KT Leveston and Teven Jenkins are also getting looks on the inside. Dawand Jones, who is Cleveland’s only returning Week 1 starter from last year, could make the move from tackle to guard now that he has shed some weight in an effort to avoid the injuries that have plagued him throughout his brief career.
The lack of a fixed alignment is a concern as the offensive line needs time not only to jell with each other, but they must become very familiar with whoever the starting quarterback turns out to be.
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