Cleveland Browns: Joel Bitonio can step out of Thomas’ shadow
By Dan Justik
After playing next to recently retired Joe Thomas for four years, Joel Bitonio has a chance to step out of Thomas’ shadow and truly show off his talent.
After playing next to future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas for four years, Cleveland Browns left guard Joel Bitonio is not a household name in the NFL. But with the recent retirement of Thomas, Bitonio has the opportunity to prove to the NFL how talented he really is.
Because he played next to Thomas, Bitonio does not get the proper credit for what he did on the field. There are some people that believe Bitonio only played as good as he did because he was playing next to Thomas and Thomas would cover his flaws.
But what about the possibility that Bitonio helped Thomas maintain his high level of play because Thomas did not have to worry about what was happening inside of him and could focus on his job every play.
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Bitonio has been an underrated player for most of his career. The Browns organization felt that he was one of the top guards in the NFL and they were confident enough in him to give him a six year, $51 million contract extension before the 2017 season.
Bitonio was a reliable player for the Browns in 2017. He played in all 16 games for the first time since his rookie season in 2014. But he also played every snap in 2017.
He was able to prove how good of a run blocker that he is. He has the athleticism that allows him to move well laterally and to win the shoulder battle. After winning a defender’s shoulder, he has the power seal the defender to give his running back a lane. His athleticism also helps get to the second level and put good blocks on linebackers. However, his bread and butter is his pass blocking.
In 2017, Bitonio had a 97.1 (out of 100) pass blocking efficiency, according to Pro Football Focus. PFF determines a players pass blocking efficiency by weighting pressures allowed and sacks allowed on a per snap basis. Although Bitonio gave up 24 pressures in 16 games in 2017, DeShone Kizer’s inability to get rid of the ball quickly caused more pressures than there should have been.
If Austin Corbett does not transition well to playing left tackle in the NFL, there is a chance that the Browns move Bitonio to replace Thomas. But with how good Bitonio has been at guard, it would be a tough decision to move him out of that position.
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Having an experienced and talented guard like Bitonio will help whoever will be replacing Thomas. If Bitonio has another strong year in 2018, he should get the credit he deserves since he is not playing next to Thomas anymore. And that should help him finally get out of Thomas’ large shadow.