BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 28: Jack Conklin #78 of the Cleveland Browns is injured during a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on November 28, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
The transaction wire has been on a steady hum for the Cleveland Browns as the NFL’s pre-free-agency period has given way to its actual free-agency period, and nothing has been so drastically altered for the team as its offensive line. That is excellent news, of course, because the Browns were brutal up front last year, with a raft of injuries combined with underperformance–and few players embodied that difficulty more than well-respected veteran Jack Conklin.
In all, Conklin has been in Cleveland for six of his 10 NFL seasons, and was an All-Pro at right tackle in his first year with the Browns, back in 2020. But the Browns could not find a way to keep Conklin active from there, as he suffered two major knee injuries, including a torn patellar tendon in 2021 and torn ACL, MCL and PCL in a nasty 2023 injury. He’s had elbow issues, too, and was on the IR last year with a concussion.
It’s been clear since last season that the team was planning on letting Conklin go, but they’ve made it official this week, releasing Conklin.
Jack Conklin Couldn’t Stay on the Field for Browns
At ESPN, Browns beat writer Daniel Oyefusi wrote, “The Cleveland Browns are releasing offensive tackle Jack Conklin, a source told ESPN on Thursday. Conklin, 31, made 57 of his 114 career starts in Cleveland over the past six seasons, but injuries frequently sidelined him. He missed 44 of a possible 101 games during his time with the Browns, including 30 since the start of the 2023 season.”
It’s not clear that Conklin will seek to keep playing, given his age and spotty injury history. In 2024, when he played in 12 games, he was rated an average-level tackle at Pro Football Focus, with a 66.2 overall grade, which was 45th out of 81 tackles in the NFL. Injuries held him back last year, but even when he did play, he rated only a grade of 57.4, which ranked 72nd out of 89 tight ends in the league.
Browns Acquired Tytus Howard to Replace Jack Conklin
The release of Conklin is part of a major changing of the guard for the Browns, who have seen stalwarts like Joel Bitonio–whose contract voided on Wednesday at 4 p.m.–and Wyatt Teller (a June 1 release) depart this offseason.
The Browns have rebuilt the offensive line with Elgton Jenkins at center, ex-Chargers OL Zion Johnson at left guard and Tytus Howard at right tackle. The team re-signed Jenkins’ brother, Teven Jenkins, who probably will get a chance to win the job at right guard.
The Browns are in need of a left tackle, and indications are they’ll pursue one–maybe more–in the NFL draft. They could give Dawand Jones a chance to win that job, too, though he is probably going to remain as a depth piece.
Bears Provided ‘Really Nice Model’
Browns GM Andrew Berry pointed out at the NFL combine last month that the team would be likely to take a similar approach to rebuilding the offensive line that Chicago took last year. The Browns were rated No. 31 on the line by PFF last year, and the Bears were No. 24 in 2024. But Chicago bounced up to No. 3 last year.
“I actually think what Chicago, what (GM) Ryan Poles did last year is a really nice model,” Berry said. “If you think about it, they did a combination of internal development, veteran additions and draft.
“You had Darnell Wright, who he really came into his own at right tackle this past year. They traded for Joe Thuney, they traded for Jonah Jackson, they signed (center Drew) Dalman in free agency and they drafted (tackle) Ozzy Trapilo in the second round. So it’s a nice mixture of youth and experience and we would look to take a similar approach if the player markets line up for us.”