The run-up toward the 2026 NFL Draft has to be an interesting time for Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Dawand Jones. More than any other player, his future is tied to what the Browns do regarding his position.

Almost every mock draft has Cleveland selecting a tackle with one of its two first-round selections, which are at No. 6 and No. 24 overall. The way the Browns use those picks will go a long way toward revealing their feelings about Jones going forward.

Insider Zac Jackson recently explained Jones’ likely role in 2026, which is as part of a potential tandem with a rookie.

“I think his role is to compete for playing time and maybe compete for left tackle against a rookie. We’ll see how that goes. We haven’t seen the draft yet,” Jackson said.

Jones was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he emerged as a starter by Week 2. He started eight more games, and played 100 percent of the snaps multiple times, before he suffered the first of what would become a string of season-ending leg injuries. Despite that, he was named to the NFL All-Rookie team, which created optimism about his career ahead.

In 2024, he started eight of the first 10 games before another season-ending injury. Then, last season, he lasted just three games before getting injured.

Now, Jones is Cleveland’s only returning offensive line starter from Week 1 of last year. He opened the season as the left tackle but moved to the right side in his final game. With newcomer Tytus Howard likely to play right tackle this season, Jones could return to the left side or be usurped by someone who may arrive in the upcoming draft.

Potential targets with the No. 6 overall pick include Francis Mauigoa of Miami, Spencer Fano of Utah, and Monroe Freeling of Georgia, with Freeling gaining momentum by the day. If the Browns go in another direction early in the draft, either for wide receiver Carnell Tate or whoever they deem as the best player available, they could select Kaydn Proctor of Alabama or Caleb Lomu of Utah later in the first round.

It seems inevitable that the Browns will add someone they foresee as a future left tackle, so it will be up to Jones to hold him off for the job.


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