Cleveland Browns rookie clearly has taken a veteran’s job and he’s not giving it back
The Cleveland Browns started four rookies against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but one of them made it clear he isn’t giving the job back up to a veteran.
The Cleveland Browns fell 34-10 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, and there wasn’t much good news to take away from Todd Monken’s first game as head coach.
One bright spot, however, stood out on an otherwise rough afternoon: rookie offensive lineman Austin Barber.
The Browns started two rookie offensive linemen in the season opener, a reflection of just how young Cleveland’s roster is this season. Barber, a third-round pick out of Florida, made his first career start at right guard in place of Teven Jenkins, who is out injured. Based on how he played, Barber may not be giving that job back.
Austin Barber was the highest graded Browns player in Week 1
According to Pro Football Focus, Barber graded out with an 81.6 against Jacksonville, the highest mark on the team. The 6-foot-6, 314-pound lineman played 51 offensive snaps, gave up just one pressure and one hit on the quarterback, and wasn’t penalized in his first career start.
Cleveland’s offensive line had an up and down day overall, as quarterback Deshaun Watson was sacked five times. None of those sacks came from Barber, which speaks volumes about the kind of game the rookie had against a talented Jaguars defensive front.
Austin Barber is a long-term solution at right guard
Originally an offensive tackle at Florida, Barber appears to be settling in as a guard at the NFL level. His Week 1 performance carries over what the Browns saw from him throughout preseason and training camp. There’s a good chance Barber has locked down the right guard spot for the foreseeable future, and Cleveland has to feel good about landing a potential long-term starter in the third round.
The Browns have plenty to clean up after a lopsided loss to open the season. The emergence of Barber and how well he played against Jacksonville’s front is a development worth building off of as Cleveland looks ahead to Week 2.
