Browns’ Kevin Stefanski confirms a recent key draft pick has made a position switch for good
The Cleveland Browns are officially going in a different direction at left tackle than where they have been in the past. Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that second-year offensive tackle Dawand Jones is going to stay on the left side. The Week 9 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers was the first time the Browns […]
The Cleveland Browns are officially going in a different direction at left tackle than where they have been in the past.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that second-year offensive tackle Dawand Jones is going to stay on the left side. The Week 9 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers was the first time the Browns did not start Jedrick Wills Jr. when he was available. It was a clear benching and the Browns are just going in a different direction than the fifth-year tackle.
“I do plan on keeping him there,” Stefanski said of Jones. “He’s a young player that’s going to continue to get better. It’s not perfect, there’s things he can get better at, but I do believe leaving him there and letting him develop there is the best thing.”
Since Jack Conklin returned to the field on Oct. 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles, he has taken the right tackle job and kept it. With Wills unable to stay healthy, the Browns trying Jones at left tackle makes sense. Jones got his first taste of left tackle against the Ravens, then made his first start against the Chargers.
Jones gave up three pressures each of the last two games, per Pro Football Focus. The good news is that he did not give up a sack through two starts. Cleveland will have to be patient with him as he improves as a run blocker, but they might have something there already in terms of pass blocking.
Cleveland used a fourth-round selection on Jones in the 2023 NFL Draft after he slipped down boards. Now, the Browns have made a position change with him and it just might work out.
As far as Wills goes, the Browns plan to keep him as their swing tackle. It is a role that Stefanski said he can fill.
“You get injured sometimes, and sometimes you go in as a backup, sometimes you’re a starter. That’s just how this game goes. He’s somebody that has played a lot of football for us,” Stefanski said of Wills. “We’ve played and won with him. We have confidence in him. But in this case, he’s the swing tackle and he has to be ready to go in at a moment’s notice, and he will be.”
