The Cleveland Browns have to be honest about their offensive line; it's not been good as of late. In fact, it hasn't been good in a long time. Joel Bitonio continues his march to the Hall of Fame, and Wyatt Teller seems like he's back to his Pro Bowl self. The rest of the offensive line? Far from optimal. Yet, the biggest issue on the line may just be third-year offensive tackle Dawand Jones.
Standing at a massive 6'8" and 375 lbs, you'd think Jones would be a force to be reckoned with, yet in Week 1, he was anything but impressive. He was plastered by Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson all day and had a net-negative impact on the team. In fact, he was the worst-performing player, according to Pro Football Focus, finishing as the worst-graded player on the team with just a 29.0.
Jones' pass-blocking score was just 33.0, while his run-blocking was better, but still awful, at 41.1. Jones is seen as someone whose size alone could and should allow him to dominate in the run game, yet his play single-handedly ruined the team's rushing attack. Only tight end David Njoku had a worse run-blocking grade.
Browns OT Dawand Jones Could Be Benched After a Week 2 Dud
Jones is getting this shot purely based on his size, as he's done very little to warrant the spot. Yet, the Browns seem set in letting Jones get the shot to start at left tackle, replacing six-year pro Jedrick Wills, who remains unsigned as of this write-up. While Jones had some mild success as a rookie, he struggled a lot in his second season, struggles that continue into 2025.
What's made Jones' issues even more concerning is the fact that he's struggled against the run his entire career. This isn't a situation where, historically, he's always been very good in this area and is only recently struggling, much like a Teller was. No, Jones has always been a bad run-blocker, and now the team is over-relying on him to somehow get and be better than he's ever shown to be in the past.
Now Jones must take on the Baltimore Ravens, who finished Week 1 with the No. 1 and No. 10 run defense (80.1) and pass rush (68.8) grades, respectively, on Pro Football Focus.
The Browns don't have a real replacement behind Jones, but it seems unlikely he'll continue on in the starting role regardless of who is behind or around him if his struggles keep up. The disappointing Browns blocker could very easily find himself out of a job real soon if he continues his tepid play, and Week 2 will be his next chance to prove his doubters wrong.