Is the Cleveland Browns offensive line about to get worse?

The Cleveland Browns offensive line has struggled so far in 2016 and it may be getting worse after the injury to Cameron Erving.

The Cleveland Browns entered the 2016 NFL season knowing that there were going to be some rough times ahead for an offensive line that featured two new starters.

And through the season’s first two games the offensive line has done its part to turn those fears into reality.

Now that center Cameron Erving will be out for at least a few weeks after suffering a pulmonary contusion against the Baltimore Ravens, it is fair to wonder if things are about to get worse.

Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, veteran guard John Greco will move to center and Alvin Bailey will take over at right guard. Combined starts at those positions for Greco and Bailey? One.

This is not a knock on Greco, who has been a solid pro since joining the Browns in 2011, but the simple fact is that he has played one game at center in his NFL career. As Erving has shown during the past few weeks, it’s not the easy position to play on the field.

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Even though he doesn’t have much experience at center, Greco has been around long enough, thankfully, that he has an idea of what the position entails.

“Playing next to the center my whole career and playing center, I’m dialed in mentally and I know what we have to do assignment-wise with the communication,” he said in published reports. “It’s just about getting everybody lined up. Instead of communicating with the center and right tackle, I’m communicating with both guards and both tackles. I’ll be ready.”

Greco may hit a few bumps in the road, but as long as he can successfully snap the ball to whomever is the current Browns quarterback, he will at least be ahead of Erving in one aspect.

The Browns were also proactive about the center position today, reportedly signing Austin Reiter off the Washington Redskins practice squad.

According to The Washington Post:

"A seventh-round pick out of South Florida in 2015, the 6-foot-3, 307-pound Reiter spent his rookie season on Washington’s practice squad. He competed for backup center duties behind Kory Lichtensteiger this offseason and made the initial 53-man roster with guard/center Spencer Long nursing an ankle sprain. Once Long recovered, Washington cut Reiter and signed him to the practice squad."

So if anything happens to Greco, the Browns are at least somewhat covered until Erving returns to the field.

Bailey presents a bigger question mark.

Originally signed as a free agent with the idea that he would compete – and possibly win – the starting right tackle position, Bailey lost out to Austin Pasztor and was dropped to second string.

Pasztor has struggled enough in the first two games of the season to wonder how good can Bailey be if he couldn’t beat out Pasztor?

So let’s summarize: the Browns will take the field at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday with Greco making his second career start at center, Bailey making his first career start at right guard and a still-finding-his way Pasztor. Oh, and they will be going up against a Dolphins defense that features Ndamukong Suh, Mario Williams and Cameron Wake – who have combined for 210 sacks in their NFL careers.

Welcome to the NFL Cody Kessler.

Befitting a veteran player, Greco understands the reality of the situation.

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“We have to protect better,” Greco said. “That’s one thing we have to do, and that’s not an excuse. That’s just a fact. It’s something I have to do better. So that’s what we’re going to try and do this week, try to protect Cody and give him all the opportunities to make throws and find guys that are open, and we have to continue to run the ball.”

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