The Cleveland Browns were plagued primarily by two issues this season: Poor quarterback and offensive line play.
Granted, even when given time and space, Deshaun Watson looked lost for the most part, but he wasn’t put in a position to succeed, either.
Injuries, a new offensive line coach, and overall subpar play hurt this team’s offensive line and, thus, doomed their season before it even started.
With that in mind, Bradley Locker of PFF pointed out that the team’s No. 1 goal for the remainder of the season will be to block better, mostly because it will be financially impossible for the Browns to get new starters at all positions:
“Assuming Cleveland has a new starter and even a new running back, its offensive line will simply need to play at a higher level, as it won’t be possible to revamp all five positions. The Browns fared somewhat better than expected against a ferocious Steelers front in Week 12, permitting only nine pressures and one sack, but Joel Bitonio (career-low 62.5 PFF overall grade) remains a question mark,” Locker said.
The Browns’ offensive line has improved significantly over the past three weeks.
The offense has taken a big leap forward since Jameis Winston took the starting spot, and while he hasn’t been perfect by any means, this is still an encouraging sign.
His enhanced awareness in the pocket and mobility have created more opportunities for the running game.
Whether the Browns will bring Nick Chubb back remains to be seen.
Even if they do, he might not be the starter, given his performance, his age, and his history of injuries.
Once again, that will put a lot of weight on the offensive line to fix what’s been broken this season.
Perhaps that will also come with a new offensive line coach, as Andy Dickerson has left plenty to be desired in his first year in charge.
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