The Cleveland Browns have gotten blown out in both of their preseason games thus far and most of the discussion has been centered around the worrisome performances of all the quarterbacks. Head coach Todd Monken finally named a Week 1 starter earlier in the week when he handed the keys to Deshaun Watson, much to the chagrin of the fan base, which has overshadowed some other positive developments that have been taking place in camp.
Watson being the starter may not excite the fans, but the early performances from some of the rookies certainly should. If Watson is going to have any chance at getting back to the guy he used to be during his days with the Houston Texans, he’ll need all the help he can get from his new offensive line, which could be anchored by rookie left tackle Spencer Fano.
Fano has a lot of pressure on him to hold down the blind side for the next decade, and so far, he appears to be up for the task. Not only is Fano showing signs of dominance, but fellow rookie right guard Austin Barber recently earned a solid A from NFL.com’s Chad Reuter for his impressive showing against the Buffalo Bills.
“I wrote about No. 9 overall pick Spencer Fano last week, but given the Browns’ recent issues keeping linemen healthy, this third-round selection could also find himself starting as a rookie. Barber reached linebackers at the second level on multiple plays and was fluid moving ahead of an outside run early in the second half before escorting a defensive back to the sideline. His pass protection was on point, anchoring against Buffalo’s tackles without an issue,” Chad Reuter wrote.
Teven Jenkins was brought in as a free agent to replace Wyatt Teller at right guard, but he is on just a one-year, $4 million deal and is going to have his hands full holding off Barber for his job. Even if Jenkins does start, the path is clear for Barber to take over next year and potentially establish himself as a long-term solution at an important position up front.
Fano will naturally get most of the headlines, but this line had more than one hole in it this offseason. GM Andrew Berry did a tremendous job allocating plenty of resources toward fixing what was arguably the team’s biggest issue outside of quarterback.
Now, it’s important not to get too ahead of ourselves because Barber’s experience at right guard is minimal. He looked shaky at right tackle in the first preseason game, which is his natural position. Starting him right away would put a lot on his plate, but this was an encouraging development and something Monken deserves a lot of credit for.
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