Latest news with #DawandJones
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Browns Fourth-Round Pick Needs to Step Up in 2025
Browns Fourth-Round Pick Needs to Step Up in 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. For all the quarterback trouble the Cleveland Browns have seen over recent seasons, let's put at least some of the blame on the offensive line in front of them. Advertisement Last season alone, while the Browns were employing four different starters under center, the offensive line was responsible for a whopping 66 sacks. That was up from 45 sacks the season before, when Cleveland had five different starters. The Browns spent a fourth-round pick on Ohio State offensive lineman Dawand Jones in 2023, and he's failed to catch on so far across two seasons with the Browns. Pro Football Focus thinks that Jones is due for a make-or-break campaign next season. "Jones played three games at [left tackle] last year before suffering a fractured fibula that ended his season," analyst Dalton Wasserman wrote on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, he earned a subpar 44.1 PFF overall grade across those three outings. Veteran Cornelius Lucas could fill in if Jones is either injured or ineffective again, but the Browns desperately need young talent to emerge on their offensive line, and Jones is the most likely incumbent candidate." Advertisement After his rookie season, Jones was named the team's "most promising building block" heading into 2024 by Bleacher Report. He earned a 64.7 overall grade by Pro Football Focus for his efforts in his rookie season. But 2024 didn't go as planned. The former Buckeyes tackle sustained a major injury in the Browns' Week 11 loss to the Saints, but even before the injury, Jones was not playing to the standard he set in his rookie year. Pro Football Focus scored him an unimpressive 46.4 overall for the time he was on the field. The Cleveland offense was kind of a mess at that point, suffering from injuries to key players and from poor play at times. If Jones can completely recover and return to the play he displayed in 2023, he could help return the Browns' offensive line to the No. 2-ranked unit that it was in his rookie campaign. Related: Browns Coach Reveals 'Growing Pains' for First-Round Draft Pick Related: Insider Expects Nick Chubb to Return to Browns for One Reason This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Browns minicamp: The QB competition, Dawand Jones' development among things to watch
Ahead of the Cleveland Browns' mandatory minicamp that runs June 10-12, here's a look at what we've seen during organized team activities, including a 'big' story on the offensive line and some thoughts on the state of the passing game as the quarterback competition continues at its unremarkable pace. Advertisement Offensive tackle Dawand Jones is noticeably lighter. He confirmed last week that his weight loss has not just been part of his rehab and preparation for the season, but it's part of his path toward locking down the left tackle spot. For a roster in transition, Jones being able to solidify himself at left tackle would be a major boost for the offense's present and future — and it's arguably the biggest non-quarterback story of the offseason. Jones remains a huge man, but he's significantly smaller than last season. The Browns list Jones at 6-foot-8, 374 pounds, and while he's always been open about his story, he has never talked specifics about his weight — even when acknowledging that he wasn't keeping up with his conditioning at points last season. We've seen flashes of his talent in his previous NFL seasons, but both ended due to injury. Jones needed arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this year that could have kept him out until training camp. He's been part of OTA practices at left tackle, where he played one season in college and three games last year before suffering a fractured fibula. Jones said he's down 'maybe 20 pounds' but has lost a significant amount of body fat. He said he feels better and is ready for the 'challenge' of staying in shape and locking down the left tackle spot. 'Health-wise, I feel better,' Jones said. 'I should say I feel I took care of my body a little bit better. That was the main thing. Just make those little small adjustments from last year to this year, and just work and get better. Lost a lot of body fat, and I pride myself on that. I'm happy about that.' One of the surprises of the draft was the Browns not selecting an offensive lineman despite stalwarts Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller and Ethan Pocic all entering the final year of their current contracts. Left tackle remains open for the future, but Jones is clearly in the team's plans as the top option ahead of veterans Cornelius Lucas and Teven Jenkins and 2024 undrafted rookie Lorenzo Thompson, who's taking some reps in OTAs with the starters while Jones rehabs. Advertisement In the second open OTA with Bitonio and right tackle Jack Conklin absent, Jenkins worked at left guard with the first offense, while Zak Zinter was at right guard with the second offense. Later in practice, Zinter played some center. That's interesting, as the Browns don't currently have a spot for Zinter, a third-round pick last year who was benched after making a couple of injury-driven starts. The Browns gave Jenkins around $2.6 million in guaranteed money on a one-year deal. He's been good when healthy and has mostly been a guard, but he's also played some left tackle. The Browns signed Lucas, who turns 34 next month, to be the swing tackle and an emergency option. For both flexibility and effectiveness now and into the future, the best option would be a healthy Jones at left tackle. Minicamp means mandatory attendance and should lead to a greater comfort level for the offense after six organized team activities. So, it's fair to expect a cleaner operation from the passing game. It's probably too early to get real clues from the quarterback competition when it comes to number of reps or a real order. The Browns have been sharing, alternating and installing. In the second open OTA, Joe Flacco took fewer overall reps than the other three quarterbacks. That's probably part of the plan, given that Flacco has 17 previous years of NFL experience and the other three quarterbacks have three — all from Kenny Pickett. Pickett is first in the warmup lines, and he's shared the reps with the No. 1 offense with Flacco. The Browns mixed in a few chances for third-round rookie Dillon Gabriel with the No. 1 offense in the second open OTA. Fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders has been last in line and hasn't taken any reps with the No. 1 offense that reporters have seen, but that's standard. It's hard to imagine any quarterback who's fourth in line taking starter's reps in the first two weeks of an installation-based voluntary practice program. Advertisement In a late-practice 7-on-7 period last week, Sanders threw a dart for a touchdown in the back of the end zone. He celebrated with his 'wrist up' celebration from his college days, marking the first time we've seen that on the Browns' practice fields. It was just one throw and one moment among hours of work, but maybe it's a sign that he's starting to settle in. If Sanders performs well on the field and inside the facility, he'll get chances to play with older players and at least some starters this summer. But it's going to be August before this competition provides us with any real clues about who might be ascending or how Cleveland plans to divide the reps. Whether it's quarterback, linebacker or even long snapper, true positional battles won't get interesting until the pads come on in training camp. The Browns appear to have big and immediate plans for multiple members of their rookie class, but OTA sessions are always about instruction and early evaluation before the team's personnel department makes decisions on which rookies might be behind and which outside veterans might be able to help. The Browns are keeping more wide receivers on their 90-man offseason roster than they usually would to accommodate the quarterback competition and the extra competitive passing periods coach Kevin Stefanski has built into the practice itinerary. But Cleveland was short on receivers in the second OTA, with Diontae Johnson again absent and Cedric Tillman and Michael Woods II watching from the sideline. On that particular day, the passing game had more misses than hits. Jerry Jeudy was the only starting wideout participating, and the younger receivers were all doing double or even triple duty. The Browns gave Johnson no guaranteed money, but they signed him because they believe he's talented enough to help — and maybe become the starting slot receiver. Tight end David Njoku has been absent from OTAs, too, and there's a world in which a healthy Njoku could easily surpass 100 targets this season. This is all a long way of saying that, yes, we'd like to score every practice like a boxing match between the quarterbacks. But Stefanski is giving all four passers a fair shake, and at this point, he's probably most concerned with how offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave can help the rookies minute by minute on the practice field. Advertisement The Browns probably need help at wide receiver. Flacco will probably win the job at quarterback, in large part because of his experience and ability to hit the crossing routes Stefanski's offense has successfully utilized in the past. If another quarterback has to play and Stefanski has to call 15 dump-offs to Njoku, well, that might work, too. For now, it's just June. The real fun is coming in August.
USA Today
21-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Young Browns OT undergoes third surgery in two years
After back-to-back injury-shortened seasons, Cleveland Browns right tackle Dawand Jones is yet again on the road to recovery. Jones recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The procedure was performed to clean up damage from an in-season injury unrelated to the fracture that ended his 2024 season. A source claimed that Jones will soon come off crutches and return to running in preparation for offseason training. Jones, measuring in at a massive 6-foot-8, 374-pound, has struggled with lower body injuries early in his career. An MCL tear in his right knee cut short his rookie season, and he suffered yet another season-ending injury this past season against the New Orleans Saints in which he fractured his left fibula. Despite the setbacks, a source indicates Jones is expected to be fully recovered by the start of training camp in late July. His return is crucial for Cleveland's offensive line, as he is currently projected to be one of the starting five in 2025. With the expected departure of left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. in free agency, the Browns will need stability in the trenches. As he works his way back, Jones' health will be closely monitored throughout the summer.
