The Cleveland Browns have a tough task ahead of them on Monday night.
They’ll look to take down a Pittsburgh Steelers team that already has its back against the wall after a subpar performance in their season opener vs. the San Francisco 49ers.
On top of that, they’ll have a rookie tackle on the field trying to contain former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt.
However, Dawand Jones seems more than up and ready for this challenge.
In his latest media availability, Jones talked about his matchup with Watt, stating that he’s studied a lot of tape and cannot wait to take the field as a starter (via Fred Greetham).
#Browns Dawand Jones on facing TJ Watt in his first start in the NFL pic.twitter.com/K36ppvqC9J
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham9) September 14, 2023
Jones will have to fill in for RT Jack Conklin, who suffered a knee injury vs. the Cincinnati Bengals and landed on injured reserve on Tuesday.
He’s been working a lot on his footwork and ability to not allow pressure, and it showed in the preseason opener vs. the New York Jets.
He played all 74 offensive snaps and didn’t allow a sack, and he was also impressive in the regular season by not allowing any QB pressures or sacks on his 20 pass-block snaps.
Still, going against Watt on the road in a primetime game could be a different animal for the rookie, but it’s not like he’s going to be easy to push around.
Standing at 6-foot-8 and 374 pounds, he has a major physical edge over Watt and most players overall, being the biggest player on the team by a significant margin.
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