All signs point to Jack Conklin making his first NFL start at left tackle on Sunday. (TheLandOnDemand)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
Two years ago, the Browns had the youngest roster in the league. When the season kicks off for them on Sunday, they will have one of the oldest rosters.
Rosters can fluctuate by the day, of course. And Websites differ on how they calculate average age of rosters.
The 33rd Team ranked the Browns 24th with an average age of 26.6. Bookies.com ranked the Browns the oldest team based on each player’s birthdate, giving the Browns an average age of 27 years, 11 months, 17 days.
In any case, it’s a far cry from 2022 and 2017 when the Browns sported the youngest roster.
“It’s not something I spend a lot of time thinking about,” said coach Kevin Stefanski. “We look at it -- or at least I look at it -- with what players we have available to us. Certain years you have more young guys than old guys, but I think it’s a good match.”
Glenn Cook, one of Andrew Berry’s two assistant GMs, said, “I think we try to be intentional about how we build it, but not let one variable play too much into it. So, you know, I think Kevin mentioned that we want really good football players, and we understand, you know, age is a factor, and we try to take that into account. But, yeah, I wouldn’t say there is a specific thing that sticks out in terms of that number.”
Last season, the Browns headed into Week 1 with eight players 30 or older. This year, they have 13.
Three players from last year’s roster hit the 3-0 mark in 2024 – Amari Cooper, Dalvin Tomlinson and Jack Conklin.
New players 30+ this year are Jameis Winston (30), Jordan Hicks (32) and Quinton Jefferson (31)
“I think there’s a balance with experience that we have,” said Catherine Hickman, the other assistant GM. “I think of the experience we were able to acquire on the interior defensive line. Like, yes, to your point, they’re all around the 30 mark there, but they’re all players who have played and contributed in significant ways and I think it really helped us where the D-line is our engine.”
Yes, four of the 30+ players come from the defensive line – Tomlinson (30), Jefferson (31), Za’Darius Smith (32), and Shelby Harris (33).
Could it be that a greater sense of urgency to win is at work, also?
“No,” Cook said. “I mean, I think you guys should know we’re always urgent, just the way we approach it. So I don’t think age is a descriptor of that. That’s just our approach.”
Left out
Left tackle Jedrick Wills remained out of practice as his rehab from December MCL surgery continues. Which all but assures that Jack Conklin will make his NFL debut at left tackle Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Stefanski declined to make it official.
“I don’t think we’re going to say anything really depth chart wise,” Stefanski said.
The team will post its first “unofficial” depth chart of the regular season in its weekly press release on Tuesday. It’s possible that Wills will be listed as the first-team left tackle, but the fact is Conklin has been practicing left-handed pass sets for two weeks now.
I asked Stefanski how much of an upgrade would Conklin, a two-time All-Pro right tackle, be over Wills at left tackle.
“I wouldn’t obviously go there,” Stefanski replied. “I would just tell you we have options there and we’re going to work through our options.”
The only other option would appear to be James Hudson, who has never played left tackle in three NFL seasons but has worked there since the team’s first day at The Greenbrier Resort.
Brownie bits
Defensive tackle Shelby Harris and kicker Dustin Hopkins did not practice. “Both will be fine,” Stefanski said …
Cook confirmed that the Browns did not put in a claim on any player who didn’t make last week’s roster cuts. It’s the first time that’s happened in the five years under Berry. “We feel good about where the roster is,” he said. Asked if it’s the best 53 (roster) since he’s been with the Browns, Cook hedged. “I don’t know. I hope so. We feel good about it regardless. It’s a really good group. You know, these guys continue to gel really well. I think that’s the part that I’m confident and happy about the most, is just the team that we have. It’s just a really, really, really close-knit team. These guys care about winning. Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to. So, we feel good about being ready for Sunday and moving forward.” …
The Browns’ practice squad is at its 17-player limit, including one international player. Berry expressed in the past that he’d like to have a kicker on the practice squad, but so far the team hasn’t brought back Lucas Havrisik, who can double as an emergency punter. “We set a bunch of goals. There are a couple of them that we maybe haven’t accomplished just yet,” Cook said, “but as you guys have seen, especially what we went through last year, this thing is a living organism. So, it’ll continue to evolve. We’re continuing to scour the entire landscape of the NFL right now and see what’s available. So, it’s a possibility that we do, but, you know, right now, you know, Dustin’s a pretty good kicker, and we’re happy to have him.”