Browns' Insider Hints That Offensive Star Could Lose Starting Job

The Browns' offensive line may be difficult to sort out this coming season.

Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin celebrates a David Njoku first-half touchdown against the Steelers, Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Cleveland. Brownssteelers 38 / Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cleveland Browns had one of the better offensive lines in football last season, and that should be the case again heading into 2024.

However, it may make the depth chart difficult to organize, especially when you take into account how many key pieces are returning from injuries.

The most significant injury of all was Jack Conklin, the Browns' All-Pro right tackle who tore his ACL and MCL in Week 1 of last year. Dawand Jones filled in admirably for Conklin before succumbing to a knee injury himself late in the season. He also underwent surgery, although his injury was not nearly as severe as Conklin's.

This has created a bit of a glut at the tackle position for Cleveland, as the Browns feature Jedrick Wills on the left side and will be forced to decide between Conklin and Jones on the right.

Obviously, a healthy Conklin would trump Jones, but that's just the thing: we don't know when Conklin will be ready, and it's important to note that he has played in just 22 games the past three seasons overall.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com actually thinks Conklin could be in danger of losing his starting job, stating that so long as Wills and Jones play well together, Cleveland may roll with them and keep Conklin on the bench as not to disrupt chemistry. She qualifies her statement by saying she thinks all three tackles will get playing time and that the Browns could always adjust accordingly as the season progresses.

Jones was impressive in 11 games of action (nine starts) in 2023, and the Browns could very well view the second-year player as an integral part of their future. If Cleveland trusts Jones that much moving forward, it may very well feel comfortable sticking with him over Conklin. Again, that's assuming that Jones plays well.

The Browns initially signed Conklin to a three-year deal in March 2020 and then handed him a four-year extension in December 2022, so there is a bit of a financial obligation there. However, if Cleveland feels that it will be a better offensive ballclub with a Wills-Jones tandem, it may not care all that much about how much it is paying Conklin.

It should be interesting to see how all of this unfolds in training camp and preseason.