No Easy Answers To Browns Tackle Problem

The front office passed on adding real competition this offseason and they should be regretting it.

James Hudson III (Photo - Cleveland Browns)

Let’s start here: other than quarterback, there is no position in the NFL harder to answer definitively than left tackle. Teams devote outsized resources to the position specifically because there are only around 10 good ones at any one time. That means 20 teams are on the hunt for an upgrade.

It’s understood that if you have an injury at the position mid-season, the answer to your problem cannot be found outside of your organization. Witness the 2023 Browns. Geron Christian was a street free agent and battled admirably, but once Wills and Conklin were hurt, there was no help coming at left tackle. At that point, it’s about survival.

For Browns fans, the cold reality of the tackle market is a recent revelation. Joe Thomas was the man for so long in Cleveland that there was no need to worry. It felt like the offensive lineup most years was 10 question marks and then the Hall of Fame stalwart. “At least we have that guy,” we’d say.

In 2020, the Browns drafted their next franchise left tackle with the 10th overall pick. Jedrick Wills was a right tackle in college but with Bill Callahan’s expert tutelage, he’d make the switch to the left side and solve a problem the Browns had been working on for two years. Remember when Desmond Harrison started? Remember when Greg Robinson was the left tackle?