When the Browns face the Las Vegas Raiders, Cleveland will be without two key components of their offensive line as tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin have already been ruled out.
The Browns are also without Wyatt Teller as the offensive guard was placed on the Injured Reserve (IR) list this week after spraining his MCL.
With three starters from last season’s team sitting on the sidelines, the Browns’ offensive line – a unit that was considered one of the team’s strengths earlier this season – will be under scrutiny throughout the contest.
That makes ESPN’s new report by Seth Walder about the key matchup to observe on Sunday an obvious one as he chose how rookie Zak Zinter – who will be starting in place of Wyatt Teller – plays against defensive tackle Christian Wilkins for this contest.
“Though [Wilkins] has only 0.5 sacks, those advanced metrics suggest that Wilkins will be a difficult matchup for Zinter, the Browns’ 2024 third-round pick who will play at right guard in place of the injured Wyatt Teller,” Walder wrote.
Wilkins was a free agent signing the Raiders picked up during the offseason as he inked a four-year, $110 million deal with Las Vegas.
The defensive tackle made a name for himself in Miami, starting 77 games during his first five seasons.
His best season came in 2022 as he recorded 98 tackles to set the NFL’s single-season record for a defensive tackle.
Walder also offered his thoughts about how the matchup would go, suggesting Zinter would have a rough day against Wilkins.
“I’d bet we’ll be seeing Wilkins in the backfield, getting hits on running backs and Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson,” Walder concluded.
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