Cleveland Browns: Who Is The One Player That Must Stay?
By Ryan Rosko
Left Tackle Joe Thomas
Torrelle Howard
Joe Thomas is my choice. I know the man is getting old and no one ever cares about the offensive line, but it is important as they are building up the skill positions on the offense. In this case while a lot of people could care less about who plays LT for the Cleveland Browns, I would tell them that you do not know what you have until it is gone.
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Thomas has played in so many freaking games and played in so many Pro Bowls, that people have forgotten just how important his position is. At this point, Cleveland does not have to worry about his position since he does such a great job at it and does it so consistently.
Remember a couple years back however, when Cleveland lost Mack for the season during the Pittsburgh Steelers game? No one spoke about what the center for the Cleveland Browns was doing any week prior to Mack’s injury, yet every week afterwards it was one of the biggest topics of discussion.
That is the offensive line in a nutshell for you. When the offensive linemen are great they get ignored, and when they play badly, they are put on the chopping block (See: Cameron Erving).
I know we are busy building up the team but in a way that’s my entire point. While trading Thomas might result in a couple of good picks, chances are they are not getting a return that will be equivalent to his value. Meanwhile, the Browns would be opening up a giant hole on the offensive line, while they build up the skill positions on offense.
Cleveland needs to keep Thomas at all cost. Teams like the Seattle Seahawks can get by with bad offensive line play, but they have great skill players on offense so they can squeak by. Cleveland does not have that luxury so they should hold on to the strengths they already have.
Next: Last Level Of Defense
If Cleveland does not, their offense next year might be the worst in the league.