The Cleveland Browns have said they hope guard Joel Bitonio comes back to the team, but they are making choices that suggest he is not.
Writing for The Land On Demand, Tony Grossi said that all signs point to Bitonio choosing not to come back to Cleveland next season. If he does decide to say goodbye to the Browns, he could have other options in the league, or he could march into retirement.
The Browns are making free agency choices that suggest they don’t see Bitonio in a Browns uniform next season.
“The Browns won’t say that Joel Bitonio isn’t coming back, but their actions may say otherwise. They continued to rebuild their offensive line on Tuesday by agreeing to terms with a pair of Jenkins – Teven Jenkins, who made four starts at right guard for them last year, and former Packers guard and center Elgton Jenkins. Now, the addition of three guards – Johnson, Teven Jenkins, and Elgton Jenkins – would seem to indicate that Bitonio is not coming back. A club source texted, ‘When Joel makes his decision, everyone will know,'” Grossi wrote.
Bitonio has already done so much for the Browns; he is the longest tenured member of the team and has seven Pro Bowls to his name. Because of that, it is hard to imagine him choosing to play for a different team, especially after 12 seasons in the league.
Therefore, it feels far more likely that Bitonio will either come back to the Browns or retire. But the free agency guard acquisitions made by the team recently point to Bitonio leaving. They are selecting players who could easily fit into the void left by Bitonio, and that might not be a coincidence.
The team already extended its deadline for him to decide, and fans haven’t heard any definitive news about Bitonio since.
A solution to this situation should be coming soon, but it will likely be a bittersweet one.
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