The Cleveland Browns enter the 2026 off-season with plenty of problems to solve and none of them matter more than the offensive line. The abysmal offensive output, the defense gassing late in games, even the subpar quarterback play, it all comes back to the offensive line.
Fixing the line will not magically turn the Browns into contenders, but it is the first and most important step they can take.
The turnover at this position could be absolute. Left guard Joel Bitonio is widely expected to retire after a standout career in Cleveland.
Center Ethan Pocic is a pending free agent coming off a major injury.
Right guard Wyatt Teller is also set to hit the open market and his social media posts thanking Cleveland hint a return is unlikely.
At left tackle, Dawand Jones is recovering from season-ending surgery and has played just 24 games in three NFL seasons.
At right tackle, Jack Conklin remains a significant question mark after spending much of his recent tenure in Cleveland battling injuries despite a hefty contract extension.
That is potentially all five starters gone or medically unavailable come opening day. The rest of the roster’s ceiling depends almost entirely on getting this right.
Cleveland’s quarterback situation has generated most of the offseason headlines. Will Shedeur Sanders remain starter? Should fans dread an attempted Deshaun Watson return? Is the team bringing in someone new to compete?
Those questions remain secondary to fixing the offensive line.
No quarterback can function behind the patchwork line the Browns have been throwing out there. We all saw what happened over the past two seasons. Plays died before they started and the run game stalled before it ever got going.
Rebuilding the line helps Quinshon Judkins become the featured back the Browns drafted him to be and takes meaningful pressure off the man under center.
Revamping the lane also helps whoever steps into the WR1 role. Last season left plenty of questions unanswered at that position, and a functional line changes the entire conversation. A little time for plays to develop could revolutionize Cleveland’s passing attack.
Before looking at what the Browns have, it is worth acknowledging how they got here.
Berry has consistently prioritized skill positions and pass rushers while punting the offensive line down the road. That neglect has cost this team multiple seasons. 2026 is the year to start making it right.
Cleveland is not necessarily starting from zero. Guard Zak Zinter and center Luke Wypler are both under contract, though both should be considered with a dose of skepticism.
Zinter was a healthy scratch multiple times last season despite the line being historically decimated by injury. That is hard to ignore when projecting him as a starter.
Wypler has shown flashes but remains largely untested. A full-time role in a heavily scrutinized offense would be a significant leap.
Jones has rare physical tools and flashed genuine ability early in his career. The problem is durability, and the Browns cannot count on him as a long-term answer.
Cleveland has been connected to both Green Bay Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker and Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. The appeal of each is obvious.
Walker has started every game over the past three seasons with strong pass protection numbers. He is projected to land in the range of 82 to 85 million dollars on his next deal.
Linderbaum posted an 80.3 overall grade on Pro Football Focus in 2025 with elite marks in the run game. He is projected to land a four-year, 76-million dollar contract and would immediately stabilize the heart of the line.
The challenge is Cleveland’s cap situation. The Browns enter the off-season with a hangover tied to Watson’s bloated contract, though insurance payments from his inactivity last season are expected to provide some relief.
Signing both Walker and Linderbaum is just not realistic. Landing one alongside a cheaper veteran, though, could give Cleveland a credible foundation heading into the draft.
Before free agency even opened, Berry made his first move. Cleveland traded a fifth-round pick to the Houston Texans for right tackle Tytus Howard and immediately signed him to a three-year, 63-million dollar extension.
Howard is 29 years old, a former first-round pick out of Alabama State with 93 starts over seven seasons in Houston. Last season, he allowed zero sacks and posted a PFF pass-blocking grade of 77.1, ranking 17th out of 89 qualified offensive tackles.
A solid move, but there are still some concerns. Howard has never been an above-average run blocker at the NFL level.
In a Todd Monken offense that leans heavily on the passing game, that may be acceptable. His run-blocking grades, though, are worth monitoring as the team will want a strong run game to take pressure off a young QB.
Howard also brings versatility, having played snaps at right tackle, left guard, and right guard in 2025, which is useful insurance given Cleveland’s injury history.
Getting a proven starting tackle for a fifth-round pick is exactly the kind of move Berry needed to make. With right tackle addressed, the Browns can aim to handle their needs at left tackle and guard in the draft.
Cleveland holds three picks in the top 40 of the 2026 NFL Draft, and while the offensive line class is not particularly deep, there are names worth consideration that early.
Spencer Fano out of Utah is among the most polished prospects in the class. He projects as a scheme-versatile starter at either tackle spot.
Francis Mauigoa out of Miami brings rare movement skills and starting experience. Some evaluators believe his long-term future is at guard, but his tackle upside is legitimate.
Olaivavega Ioane out of Penn State is a guard, not a tackle, but widely considered the safest interior lineman in the class. He is a near-lock in the first round.
Arizona State’s Max Iheanachor is a second or third round developmental tackle worth monitoring.
The Browns cannot afford to ignore the line in this draft, and Berry needs to be aggressive at the position for the first time in his tenure as GM.
The debate about how to handle the draft is real. Some mock drafts suggest Cleveland should take a wide receiver or swing at a quarterback with one of those first-round picks. Both are legitimate needs.
With right tackle addressed, the smart play is to use both first-round picks on the offensive line and address wide receiver in the second round. A true WR1 means nothing if the quarterback does not have time to deliver the ball.
Obviously, it all comes down to what the draft gives you. What other teams do will impact the Browns’ choices. Still, doubling up on the offensive line should be the goal.
Should things break reasonably well, here is what Cleveland’s Week One starting five could look like: left tackle Fano, left guard Ioane, center Linderbaum, right guard Zinter, and right tackle Howard.
Should the team decide to go receiver with one of those first-round picks, Jones could get another shot at starting on the left side, though his injury history makes that a risky path.
That is not a completely finished product, but it is a legitimate lineup that can protect the quarterback and give the run game room to breathe. From there, the Browns can finish the job in 2027.
Berry has neglected this offensive line for years, and the 2026 off-season is the year to start making it right. The draft capital is there, the cap situation is improving with Watson coming off the books next season, and the free agent market has real options.
Getting the offensive line right will not guarantee the Browns contend in 2026. Failing to get it right, though, will guarantee they cannot, regardless of what else goes right around it.
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