The Cleveland Browns made some big moves this offseason, mostly during the NFL Draft. They added stud prospects in Spencer Fano and KC Concepcion in the first round of the NFL Draft, and then added highly touted prospects Denzel Boston and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in round two. You'd think if anyone was getting major kudos by former NFL players, it'd be someone from that grouping.
Nope, it's actually third-round pick Austin Barber.
Former NFL player and one-time Browns practice squad member Tyvis Powell named Barber as a critical addition to the team, citing his ability to play either tackle position as the reason why.
"That guy, Austin Barber, they're listing him as a swing tackle," Powell told the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. "At some point, he probably will be called upon, and they have to have this offense keep going and be able to do the things that they want to do. We've seen how it was last year when your tackles were down—how hard it was. That tackle position is going to be critical for success. I'm not necessarily sure that Tytus Howard or Spencer [Fano] makes 17 games, so Austin Barber will be called upon at that point."
More: NFL Draft grades 2026: All 32 draft classes ranked from best (Titans, Raiders) to worst (Rams, Vikings)
There's reason to be skeptical that neither Fano nor Howard will make it all 17 games in 2026. It's a hard thing to do. It seems less likely that Fano will be the one to miss anytime, due to his youth and lack of injury history. Howard, on the other hand, is 30-years-old and has only played a full season once before in his career.
So it seems that, at the very least, the Browns may need to lean on Barber at least once or twice. Though if Howard struggles to play consistently, then injuries may not be the biggest reason why Barber gets in and gets a lot of action. Howard is notoriously inconsistent in his play, and at his age, and with the Browns trying to do a quick rebuild, the club may want to wait on Barber if Howard isn't consistent.
There's a good chance that by Week 17, the two full-time tackles are Fano at left tackle and Barber at right tackle.
More Browns news: