Cleveland Browns: 5 players that could benefit from the Kevin Stefanski hire

Joel Bitonio

This may be a headscratcher but let me explain. The offensive line more than any other group in football has to be cohesive. It’s debatable that the line needs to be completely overhauled. Bitonio and center JC Tretter are more than likely coming back. They work well together and really helped solidify the run game.

Bitonio’s tackle, Greg Robinson, is on his third team and was the second overall pick from the 2014 draft. For those of you unaware, that’s the Johnny Manziel-Justin Gilbert draft. So you know, high-quality stock in that draft class. Robinson has played well, but not well enough that an upgrade can’t be had. Coming off the Joe Thomas era, we were spoiled by a great left tackle. Robinson isn’t on that level, nor is he on the level beneath that. Robinson will not be a Hall of Famer, nor will he be a Pro Bowler. If the team can upgrade the position, they should. Bitonio is a top ten, arguably a top-five guard in the league. He needs a compliment that is on a similar Pro Bowl level to ensure the best possible usage of Bitonio.

That said, another potential option is moving Bitonio to left tackle and bringing in two new guards. Bitonio was a tackle at Nevada and could be the best option out there to protect Mayfield’s blindside. It would cause a lot of shakeup on the line, maybe more than needs to happen but the pass protection improvement that it would bring Mayfield may be worth it.

On the line, if you have one bad player, the whole line is ineffective. Bitonio is one of the better guards in the league and he’s getting older. Securing the line, adding a free agent, or a few draft picks would really highlight just how good Bitonio is. That and the fact that they’ll be passing less and running more. With Stefanski implementing a heavier run attack, presumably, you can assault the defense over the course of a game, and tire them out. That way the defensive line won’t be as effective on the pass rush, thus helping the pass blocking out even more.

All those will make Bitonio not just a future recurring Pro Bowler but a potential All-Pro guard.