Cleveland Browns: Where did Pro Football Focus rank the offensive line?
By Ryan Rosko
![Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Cleveland Browns offensive line against the Atlanta Falcons defense during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Falcons beat the Browns 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fbe621bc9b4fb82cf9ae2142e6a00048b7084e0527ba105dcbd9b45b9f2badc48.jpg "Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Cleveland Browns offensive line against the Atlanta Falcons defense during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Falcons beat the Browns 24-13. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports]")
The Cleveland Browns made major upgrades along their offensive line this past offseason and are praised for it so far!
What a year it has been for the Cleveland Browns. This time last year, everyone could argue just how bad their offensive line would be in the fall. Outside of left tackle Joe Thomas and left guard solidifying the left side of the line, there were a lot of questions marks.
Well, fast forward a year and the story has been rewritten.
This past offseason, Cleveland signed right guard Kevin Zeitler and center J.C. Tretter to significantly improve their offensive line. Now, Bitonio is coming back from surgery and Thomas is a year older, but those are the only negatives among those four players.
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There is a lot to like and expect from the offensive line in the coming months, being led by Thomas and Bitonio.
Right tackle is still in play, but likely option to start there is Shon Coleman. Will he be there from day one of the regular season? That remains to be seen as training camp and preseason will dictate that. Yet, at least for the majority of the games, he should be seen at RT.
So, a starting five of Thomas, Bitonio, Tretter, Zeitler, and Coleman would make any NFL fan excited. Collectively, this is the best group of overall talent Cleveland has had along the offensive line in a while.
On the other hand, looking big picture, where do they stack up with the rest of the NFL?
Pro Football Focus ranked Cleveland’s offensive line second behind only the Philadelphia Eagles’ line. The complete list can viewed here.
"The offseason free agent spending spree could pay off huge dividends in Cleveland. J.C. Tretter and Kevin Zeitler both bring well above-average grades from a season ago at center and guard, respectively. The only question mark comes at right tackle where Shon Coleman looked at least competent in his 62 snaps as a rookie."
Although the games have yet to be played, it is great to see Cleveland near the top of a rankings list above their divisional foes. Barring injury, this season’s offensive line unity should finish right in the area they are listed now: Top five.
Next: PFF says WR is biggest weakness
Had the right tackle situation been resolved by now, Cleveland easily would have been first on this list. A lot has to play out first, but there is so much excitement with that group that it is hard to ignore!