Browns: 3 areas the Browns may struggle with in 2021

Offensive Line

This is the one position that was arguably the best in football in 2020 and yet still makes the list. The defensive front seven and special teams have had their issues for years. The offensive line has always been one of the better positions on the team save for a handful of years. So that’s why it’s so interesting for them to make the spot.

So why do they make the spot? Well, it comes down to two things; health and consistency. The Browns got lucky last year with a few key backups who stepped up in big ways. Guys like Blake Hance and Michael Dunn helped make sure the team wasn’t hit too hard by the loss of Wyatt Teller and others. The big question is going to be will those guys continue to step up if the team is besieged with even more injuries in 2021? Or were they just one-hit wonders and played beyond their expectations?

The consistency also applies to Jedrick Wills who had a rough rookie year. Still an improvement over the man he replaced, but he was far from the best left tackle drafted, and all of the ones who played better than him went after him in the draft as well. Making it a double whammy. He needs to step up his game in 2021.

Then of course there are concerns about Joel Bitonio and J.C. Tretter’s age, and Wyatt Teller‘s injury issues. Bitonio is at that age where most guys hit the wall. It doesn’t mean Bitonio will, but there are concerns that he could start to regress, especially after all the years he played on this line. Tretter is another name that may regress due to age. He may also find himself not as embraced after the offseason the NFL has had, with him encouraging players to skip camps, and his own teammates ignoring him. Since Tretter is the president of the player’s union, he’s going to find himself in some uncomfortable positions and who knows how that will shake out.

Not to mention the fact that a lot of people are praising Teller for playing very well in just 11 games out of his career so far. Sure, maybe it was the system but who knows what Teller will show in 2021. Everyone is just assuming he’ll do more of the same and isn’t even considering the notion that maybe, just maybe, it was a one-year wonder. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t but considering he’s played well in just 11 games since he got drafted in 2018 is enough to be cautious about giving him huge money.

Letting him walk may be the best course of action after the 2021 season, depending on how he plays of course.

So yes, the offensive line seems great on paper but there are lingering questions that could thrust the stability of the line into question if things break the wrong way. You could make that argument for every position, sure, but these feel like the three most likely to need help with after the season is over.