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I'm voting for just testing the water. Joel will indeed be, IMO, our starting LT.

I don't know the answer, but I think you are right.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/page/CLE/cleveland-browns

Robinson saw some reps at left tackle with the first-team offense during Monday's practice, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Regardless of Monday's practice, coach Hue Jackson said Joel Bitonio remains the team's starting left tackle, and that the team was just working on different offensive-line combinations. Robinson is still expected to begin the season in a reserve lineman role.

Can the Cleveland Browns successfully replace this Coleman without completely losing him?

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2018/08/can_the_cleveland_browns_succe.html

By Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com dlesmerises@cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- One up, one down, one starting, one maybe gone.

Austin Corbett and Shon Coleman were separated by five lockers inside FirstEnergy Stadium after the Browns second preseason game Thursday night and heading opposite ways.

Does it have to be this way with the Browns, every success story matched by a failure?

Receiver Rashard Higgins has impressed this camp, but Corey Coleman was dumped. The fact that Corbett has seized a starting job at left guard, his rise necessitated by Shon Coleman losing his starting spot at left tackle and Joel Bitonio sliding from guard to tackle, does that mean this Coleman is also done in Cleveland?

Corbett, the rookie second-round pick from Nevada with a tattoo of an eagle and his last name on his right upper back, improved ten-fold from the preseason opener to what he showed Thursday. He consistently sealed off blocks in the run game and looked for work in pass protection, without glaring failures of misunderstanding.

The father of his best friend texted after the game to give him a hard time, and Corbett laughed because he knew he improved. Can a 22-year-old glow after a preseason game?

He's figuring out, admitting he's finally dispatching the tackle thinking of his college days (he started 49 games at left tackle at Nevada) and getting in guard mode. He had to.

The Browns need him. They really need him.

"They need the best person they can get, whether that's you or someone else," Corbett said. "That's the nature of the game we play. I'm doing everything I can to make sure I'm one of those guys at the end of the day. You've got to have that mindset where you get locked into a position and you never let go."

Coleman did let go, the starting left tackle job that was handed to him by the retirement of Joe Thomas ripped away by Hue Jackson early in camp. Jackson didn't like what he saw and acted quickly to shift Bitonio and promote Corbett. Coleman went from first-team left tackle to second-team right tackle and could fall further still.

The Browns signed former No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson in June and have worked undrafted free agent Desmond Harrison at second-team tackle as well. Coleman was old coming out of Auburn, so entering his third NFL season he's already 26. But he started all 16 games at right tackle a year ago. Chris Hubbard is locked into the right tackle job now, and Bitonio-Corbett is working on the left side.

So maybe this is progress - a starter one year is in danger of not making the team the next, because maybe the Browns are that much better.

They clearly aren't waiting on Coleman.

"If you want the job, whatever job you want, you have to go get it," Jackson said of Coleman on Sunday. "You have to work at it. We have to play the best players. It's all about performance. It is not about somebody's feelings or any of that. This is a performance-based business, and Shon understands that. If he wants the job back, he has to go back and earn it."

Baker Mayfield got blown up on a sack behind the second team Thursday on a miscommunication that looked like Coleman's fault, as he disengaged with a defender to pick up an outside blitzer that running back Nick Chubb was ready to handle. The player Coleman let go then buried the Browns No. 1 pick.

But playing with a second-team line that clearly struggled, Coleman wasn't a glaring weakness every play. Another blitzer flushed Mayfield in the fourth quarter after shooting past Coleman, but when engaged, Coleman wasn't constantly losing individual matchups.

It's not hard to see Coleman as the odd man out here, if the Browns believe more in Robinson and Harrison as their tackle depth. Coleman's status as a previous starter or third-round pick in 2016 won't matter.

Is Coleman concerned about making the roster?

"No, I don't even worry about that," he told me after Thursday's game. "I worry about what I can do on the field."

Maybe the ship is sailing on another Coleman on Cleveland, but in an ideal world, I think the Browns would need both Corbett and Coleman. Yes, this rookie looks ready. But yes, this former starter who's only in year three, he's still worth something, too.

"I know I'm a guy that has a lot of ability, and obviously I can play both sides at tackle," Coleman said. "My big thing is just doing whatever the team needs me to do."

He doesn't sound like a guy following the Corey Coleman plan, as shown on Hard Knocks, of asking for a trade after a demotion to second team. He still can be needed, even after losing a starting job.

"I'm guessing so," Coleman said. "I'm still developing. I've got a lot of room for improvement. But at this point, I'm just trying to get better and let things fall in place however they may fall in place."

As the Browns clearly improve their starting talent, depth, especially on both lines, remains an issue.

So let Corbett serve as an answer.

"Come week one, I'm going to make sure that my name is coming out in that first starting five," Corbett said.

But I'm hoping Coleman can provide an answer about depth as a former starter worth keeping rather than as another former failed high pick sent packing.

"I know I can show a lot more," Coleman said, "by just developing into that player that I envision myself being."

Finding a success story without packaging it with a failure? That's when you'll know the Browns are headed somewhere.

I'm not really sure I understand why this is even a question. The NFL has a 53 man roster. Only so many players are kept in any one position group. When you find a better player to take a starting position, another player from that position group will drop from the roster.

Coleman was terrible at RT last year. Terrible. Corbett making the roster means someone on the OL will not have a position this year. That may or may not be Coleman. I've seen nothing from Coleman that will insure him a roster spot so anything could happen there.

Having someone that stays healthy and plays a 1/4 of a season is already replacing Corey lol.

Austin Corbett ‘wants to be great,’ just like the familiar face he’s tasked with replacing

https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/aus...-tasked-with-re


Austin Corbett and Joel Bitonio have quite a few similarities.

Both played left tackle in college at Nevada, where they were first-team All-Mountain West Conference selections. They were each taken by the Browns in the second round of their NFL Draft; Corbett was picked 33rd in his draft class, Bitonio was the 35th pick. They have now each played left guard in the NFL.

Although they played under two different head coaches at Nevada, they have some things in common with their playing style, too. All of this earned them a collective nickname from their fellow linemen: “the twins.”

“Their sets are almost identical,” center JC Tretter said. “Which we laugh about in the meeting room. They’re both great guys and they’re both hard workers. As football players, they’re similar in how they move and how they play. ”


Of course, Corbett has modeled his game after Bitonio’s. He took over for Bitonio at tackle when Bitonio graduated. Corbett had the tall task of replacing an all-conference left tackle.

And four years later, he’s replacing Bitonio again. With the departure of future Hall of Fame left tackle Joe Thomas, Bitonio was bumped outside to left tackle and Corbett was elevated to first-team left guard.

It’s tough to master footwork and co-existence with a new left guard during games and live reps, so Tretter, Bitonio and Corbett work together in meetings and film rooms to understand each other better on the field. Corbett is an intelligent player, which makes life easy for Tretter. Corbett hears something from Tretter one time and picks it up. He knows what to do.

Those football smarts translate to a better understanding of his teammates. Corbett is known to pick the veterans’ brains, study film and work hard. A simple recipe, yes, but one that can often equate to success on the field. It’s not just on-field etiquette, though. Corbett talks to Tretter and Bitonio about off-days, film breakdowns and game preparation.

“He’s one of the guys who wants to be great,” Tretter said.


As hard as it is to work on things in live situations, Corbett is excited for more reps in a game. The third preseason game is looked at as a “dress rehearsal,” giving Corbett valuable time to gel with his line-mates.

“I have just been trying to pick one of two things a day to work on and just carry it over every day,” he said. “Playing these two games and now coming up with this third preseason game, we are going to have the opportunity to get a lot of reps with our first group. That will be good just to play with them in that real live situation and do so in an extended way.”

He’s making progress, but he’s not there yet. Corbett’s just a rookie and he only has less than a full game worth of action under his belt in his NFL career. The similarities to Bitonio are striking, but Corbett isn’t quite there yet.

“Joel was a Pro-Bowl guard, so I’m not going to bump Corbett up there yet until he gets there. But as it comes to working, strength and power, they’re very similar,” Tretter said.

“Corbett has all the tools to accomplish what Joel’s been able to accomplish.”

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#Browns coach Hue Jackson on if he's noncommittal about the starters on the left side of the O-line because he's thinking about starting rookie LT Desmond Harrison: "I think all of those avenues are open."

What would that entail then? Obviously Joel needs to be on the field, we move him to RT or something because Corbritt seems to be suited at LG?

I don't know.

Corbett on the bench probably.

How about we just play the guys where they've been practicing most of camp?

Somebody else said in another forum, Harrison has a future as an LT. He hasn't been tested under game conditions enough at this point, he is still raw. The talent is there, give him time to develop and at some point, Joel goes back to LG. Probably takes the whole season. That's fine.

I think we don't trust Corbett yet. He was in the game an awful long time last night. He gets beat too frequently laterally right now to trust IMO.

I think we might want Harrison - Bitonio - Tretter - Zeitler - Hubbard

I love Corbett's ability to pull, and think that he'll be hugely important in the run game.

I don't see us starting Harrison, at least not yet.

I commented on Harrison in the Postgame Thoughts thread. I thought he played well.

I don't know we'll make this move, but we would be stronger if Harrison can pull it off because Bitonio would shift back to LG.

I have to say that no matter what they decide, I feel more comfortable about the OL than I did before camp started. I like how they have moved guys around to find the best 5.

Corbett is improving but he has been late on some assignments when pulling. At some point, a left side of Harrison and Bitonio has the potential of being better than a Bitonio/Corbett left side.

Anyone know what Harrison was suspended for while at Texas?

I've heard some rumblings about Corbett at Center eventually. It is what it is.

Did Corbett play center at all in camp?

Not to my knowledge.

A quick google check shows a series of "team rules violations". Rather cryptic. One article speculated about failing a drug test but offered no proof, while another said something about omitting an online course when submitting transcripts. Charlie Strong was the head coach who kicked him off the team. Charlie has a reputation for insisting on high moral character from his players. It could be as simple as a 3 strikes policy; no major incident, but a series of minor incidents that crossed a threshold.

Yeah, I couldn't find anything either. Weird.

I don't think now is the time to shuffle the OL any further.

The only thing that would make sense to me, as a person who has no inside information, would be to move Bitonio back inside and start Harrison. Moving guys to spots that they haven't practiced at seems like a recipe for disaster.

Thats how I see it shaking out, though there is not a need to hurry Harrison before he is ready to swim. He barly even got his feet wet.

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#Browns trade OT Shon Coleman to 49ers for a 2019 7th round pick

adios Shon ... looks like Harrison makes it

The future might be now, concerning Harrison...

From the Browns website:

The Browns could be retooling offensive line once more as the season opener fast approaches.

Head coach Hue Jackson suggested Cleveland might change up the unit after moving veteran left guard Joel BItonio to left tackle earlier this month.

“I think what I’m doing is as I said before, I want to look at everything and make sure the best five guys out there based on all of the information from preseason games, practices and what I think is best for our football team. I’m just evaluating it all,” Jackson said Friday on a conference call following the team’s 35-17 win over the Lions. “When it’s all said and done, my job is that we put the best five guys out there, and that’s what we are going to do.”


The Browns moved Bitonio, a four-year starter at left guard, to left tackle toward the beginning of training camp to fill the void left by future Hall-of-Famer Joe Thomas, who retired in March following 11 seasons and 10 Pro Bowls. In Bitonio’s place, Cleveland started rookie Austin Corbett, the 33rd overall pick in the draft.


With a date against the Pittsburgh Steelers in nine days, Jackson said the Browns will take a long hard look at the group, including potentially moving Bitonio back to left guard and starting rookie Desmond Harrison, an undrafted free agent, at left tackle. Harrison started Thursday’s preseason finale in Detroit after missing much of training camp with a toe injury.

Jackson said he’s comfortable reconfiguring the lineup so close to the start of the season

“I feel pretty good about where we’re headed. I think you guys are asking for concrete answers today, and I’m not ready to do that,” he said. "I feel good about where we are, where we’re headed and the players who we have playing there. I just want to make sure that we're not turning in the lineup cards today or to say who is starting or anything like that. I just want to make sure that it’s a decision, when it’s all said and done, that I’m good with it all and that I’m not going to change two days from now or three days from now.”

— Josh Gordon will return to practice this week as the Browns prepare for Pittsburgh. Jackson said the star wide receiver will participate in as much as possible as he continues to nurse a minor hamstring injury. “I think it will be a little bit more than limited but not totally, totally full go,” he said. “He’ll definitely get into the route running part of it, catching balls and being with the offense a lot more than what he has been.” Gordon returned to the team earlier this month after a leave of absence to focus on his recovery from addiction.

— In the coming days, the Browns will curate their roster from 90 members to 53. Thursday’s night game against Detroit marked the final opportunity for players hoping to earn a spot on the team to impress Jackson and the front office. “Last night, I took the opportunity to thank all of our players that spent training camp with us. They all worked extremely hard and tried to do everything that we asked them to do,” he said. “Unfortunately, there is only room for 53 on the roster and another 10 on the practice squad. That is just how it works in the National Football League.”


— Jackson said the Browns will have to make “tough decisions” when it comes to tight end Seth DeValve and fullback Danny Vitale, who have both missed substantial time with injuries. “We have to do what we think is best short term and long term for the organization,” he said. “Those guys have been players who have played football here and contribute, but obviously, they haven't been out there on the field with the team and been able to practice. I think that availability is really important, especially as we start heading into the season.” DeValve, who enters his third season with the team, caught 33 passes for 395 yards and a touchdown last year. Vitale has played in 24 games, starting nine, in two seasons.

j/c:

It's obvious they like Harrison:


https://twitter.com/NathanZegura/status/1035597898963148805


https://twitter.com/NathanZegura/status/1035501074998804481


https://twitter.com/NathanZegura/status/1035501479484968960

High praise from Zegura

And he has his ears to the ground in Berea, obviously.

I understand what you are saying and I am not claiming they should make the move.

I just see it this way.

--Harrison stood out last night. In a good way.

--We have to ask ourselves, is the OL better w/Bitonio at LT and Corbett at LG or w/Harrison at LT and Bitonio at LG?

--I don't know the answer to the above question, but I can tell you that both Harrison and Corbett played a lot last night. I mean.......a lot.

I get that you are making fun of people again, but San Fran's OL is really bad. They got a guy who started last year for a 7th round pick.

I'm not sure I would have made that trade if I were Cleveland. I thought a bunch of posters overrated him last year and the BS excuses about how we would be better at LT was absurd, but I think he would be a decent back-up for us. A 7th round pick is next to nothing. I would have kept him.

I think Corbett has grown by leaps and bounds as the LG. Joel B has gotten more and more comfortable in the LT role. Personally, I’d like to see them stay the course, it seems to be working quite well for the run game, and almost as good for the passing.

Not to say Harrison isn’t starter material.

You could be right. I haven't seen enough of either guy to really offer a valid opinion. Like I said, I did notice Harrison last night and mentioned it on my Post Game Thoughts post. Hell, I didn't even know his name. I just put number 69. LOL

Ham, what's crazy is both played a lot and played together a lot. I didn't realize it was a competition, but we did a lot of good things on that left side last night.

I think our OL is going to be better than I thought it was.

Hue had Corbett in for almost all of the preseason. Which, I believe got him in a lot better shape physically, and experientially. I will admit, I did try to really watch him closely during the games, because I felt that he would be the “soft spot” in the line. I am quite,pleased with his progress, though.

Harrison, I didn’t really focus on, thinking that Joel B had locked down the spot. I’ll have to see if I can find some replays to check him out.

The long TD run by Dayes, was opened by a sweet pull and seal by Corbett that made this old guard proud.

A 7th is crap for such a young former starter. We should have kept him and waited till a team had an injury.

Bye bye coleman.