Most Cleveland Browns are filled with hope heading into the 2026 NFL season, and a lot of that is due to the team’s offseason moves and draft picks. The Browns were among the worst teams in football last year, which doesn’t usually inspire fanbases, but it’s hard not to get excited about what this team could do.
While they don’t have their QB1 figured out, several other positions are headed in the right direction, including their entire offensive line. The Browns knew they had several moves to make if they wanted this unit to get better, and they responded with several key additions.
Taking Spencer Fano at No. 9 in the draft was a highly anticipated move and is now held in high regard, but he wasn’t the only offensive lineman they took. In fact, third-rounder Austin Barber is getting high praise from his performances at the team’s rookie minicamp. Mary Kay Cabot talked about this in a recent appearance on Orange and Brown Talk, indicating that he’s looking much better than expected.
“On the opposite side of the spectrum, from a size standpoint, Austin Barber looks the part of a tackle. He looks like a tackle. Looks like a Joe Thomas-type of frame. You don’t trade up for a guy in the third round unless you like him a lot. That’s starter territory for down the road. Next season and beyond, I think you have to start looking at him as a potential challenger for a starting role at tackle for the Cleveland Browns,” Cabot said.
Performing well in camp isn’t everything, and he has a long way to go, but if he keeps trending in the right direction, there’s a world in which Barber is a Week 1 starter for this organization.
The Browns’ offensive line is going to be stronger than they have in previous years if they want any shot of being relevant in 2026. Their starting QB is unknown, but because they didn’t add a blue-chip prospect or go after anyone impressive in free agency, they’re going to work with what they have on the roster.
None of the options are exciting for the fans, but with the right players represented on the line, they can make any quarterback look competent enough to have a record over .500. That might be a low bar for some teams, but considering how the Browns have looked in recent seasons, they’ll take what they can get at this point.
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