The Cleveland Browns Are Built To Survive These Left Tackle Issues

The Browns' tackle situation has been well documented, but this Browns staff and team should be able to find a way.
Jedrick Wills Jr is on track to be ready for the Browns training camp in July
Jedrick Wills Jr is on track to be ready for the Browns training camp in July / Aaron Doster/The Associate Press
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The Cleveland Browns' left tackle situation has been well-documented to this point, and it is not good. Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin have yet to return from their 2023 injuries, and Saturday claimed the next three guys filling their void. James Hudson, Germain Ifedi and Hakeem Adeniji all suffered injuries of varying degrees.

The outlook is bleak, but the question mark at left tackle pales in comparison to what the Browns experienced in 2023.

Cleveland won games with six different tackles, five different quarterbacks, four different running backs, four different safeties, five different cornerbacks and five different linebackers. Injuries are a part of the game and having a massive question mark at left tackle is not going to stop these Browns.

Sep 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin (78) rides the medical cart back to the lo
Sep 10, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin (78) rides the medical cart back to the locker room following an injury during the first half at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Preseason voice of the Browns Chris Rose said on Monday's Cleveland Browns Daily that "good tackles get beat too." The solution Cleveland puts out there, even if it is Jedrick Wills, will be a far cry from perfect.

The Browns' organization and the members within it have faced unprecedented levels of adversity and have found ways to win in spite of it. The 2024 campaign will be no different.

The start of Cleveland's season is favorable for this situation. After facing Dallas in week one and Jacksonville in Week 2, Cleveland gets the Giants, Raiders and Commanders in consecutive weeks. If that tackle room can get decently healthy and the Browns can survive that opening five weeks with a winning record, they will be right where they need to be heading into AFC North play.

The options to fill the spot in the interim are slim. Look for the Browns to scour the roster cut-down market to find a band-aid before Wills and Conklin can return.


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Anthony Moeglin
ANTHONY MOEGLIN

Anthony Moeglin is a northeast Ohio native, who most notably quarterbacked John Carroll University to the NCAA DIII National Semifinals in 2016 after beating the No. 1 team in the country twice in a 4-week stretch. He contributes written and video/podcast content for Browns Digest, as well as serving as the lead football analyst for BuckeyesNow on the FanNation network.