Browns right tackle Jack Conklin happy for an offseason 'not rehabbing something'

BEREA — There was a smile on Jack Conklin’s face as he came off the Browns‘ practice field during minicamp.

Part of that smile no doubt had to do with the Browns right tackle being happy about the on-field work being done for the moment. Another, likely bigger, part of it no doubt had to do with Conklin being happy about just being able to go through minicamp.

“It feels great,” Conklin told the Beacon Journal on June 11. “Anytime you’re not having to rehab something in the offseason, it’s good. It feels great to be just focused on getting stronger and not rehabbing something.”

For Conklin, that’s been his reality way too often since signing in 2020 as a free agent with the Browns. The 2022 and 2024 offseason programs were impacted because of he was rehabbing from season-ending knee injuries sustained the previous season.

This time, Conklin’s coming off a season that started late for him because of, first, his recovery from the 2023 knee injury and, second, a hamstring injury that cropped up in Week 3. Once he got back on the field, in Week 6 at the Philadelphia Eagles, he almost never came off again.

Conklin played 100% of the offensive snaps in 11 of the 12 games in which he played, with only a second-half injury in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals limiting him to 68% of the offensive snaps in that game. He still played every offensive snap over the final 10 games, the first time he was able to finish a season on the field since his first season in Cleveland.

The two-time All-Pro said the day after the Browns’ 2024 season that he played “honestly one of my best years in the NFL. … Coming back from a third knee injury and … play at a high level still, it was a huge accomplishment.”

The offseason program, at least the on-field portion, ended for Conklin with the end of minicamp on June 12. Much like his fellow multi-time All-Pro offensive line teammate Joel Bitonio, while he was in the building for much of the offseason, he was not necessarily on the field for things such as OTAs.

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jack Conklin (78) watches from the sideline during practice at NFL minicamp, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. [Jeff Lange/Beacon Journal]

The way Conklin has approached the offseason has evolved since the Tennessee Titans made him the No. 8 overall pick in the 2016 draft. Of course, there are a lot of factors that play into that, including the fact he’s closing in on his 31st birthday on Aug. 17 and his 10th NFL season.

What Conklin has gone through injury-wise over the last five seasons also is a factor. All of it comes together in an ever-evolving approach to the time between the end of one season and the start of another.

“I think every year it just gets to be more stuff,” Conklin said during minicamp. “Just more stuff you got to work on more stuff just to, you figure out your body more every year. It just lets you home in on different exercises that you need and to keep you healthy and different things that you to get stronger.”

This offseason, the Browns have talked about getting stronger mentally as much as they are physically. There’s a belief among both coaches and many of the veteran players, including Conklin, that one of the causes of the disastrous 3-14 season in 2024 was the way the team didn’t fight through adversity well enough.

There were times where, when the going got tough, there was a general letting go of the figurative rope. That led to losing streaks of five and six games, which are the two longest skids in Kevin Stefanski’s tenure as Browns coach.

Conklin’s approach to handling that, much like his approach to the offseason, has also evolved. It’s been about being more than just seen.

“I think it’s being more vocal, especially with the younger guys,” he said. “I think I was always, a lot of time before, just show by example, work hard. Your guys will work hard around you. I think now it’s bringing young guys along, giving them tips and telling them to keep going and not only showing them on the field physically, but also talking them through stuff so you can make it easier on them.

“And, frankly, it helps me a lot, too. If you’re able to coach something, you can do it a lot better, too. I believe in that.”

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jack Conklin happy ‘not rehabbing something’ this offseason for Browns

Browns right tackle Jack Conklin happy for an offseason ‘not rehabbing something’

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