Fano and Howard lock down the tackle spots, while some combination of E. Jenkins, T. Jenkins, Brailsford, and Leveston establish a solid trio on the inside of the line. Despite the improvements, Cleveland still has a lot of questions to be answered on the line, but a number of players who can help answer them. Moving into the top half of lines in the NFL is a reasonable expectation, but more than that would be somewhat surprising in Year 1.
Fano isn’t cut out to play left tackle, there is a reason Howard was available for just a fifth-round pick, and the interior of the line just isn’t good enough. Johnson was a bust in San Diego, both Jenkins have had some struggles (and a big injury last year to Elgton), while Brailsford was available on Day 3 due to some size concerns. An offensive line is only as good as its weakest link. All five of the expected starters have reasons to believe they could be that link in 2026.
Any scenario where the team is relying on Jones to stay healthy for the entire year would add to the worst-case scenario.
Improved or Worse Than 2025’s Version
Improved; the real question is by how much. Almost anything would be better than last season’s offensive line, but there are real concerns that Howard, Johnson, and both Jenkinses were available in a league that doesn’t have enough offensive line talent. Cleveland’s line could still be in the bottom third of the league next year or gel to become close to a Top 10 unit. Either way, that will be an improvement, by a decent amount.
What do you see when you look at the Browns OLine room? Is there an addition to the depth chart you would like to see?
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