Cleveland Browns: Earl Watford signing fixes guard depth

The Cleveland Browns have seen enough of their guards to know they needed help, which is why they signed veteran Earl Watford on Tuesday

We have all seen the issues the Cleveland Browns have had this preseason at the offensive guard position.

With right guard Kevin Zeitler out injured and Joel Bitonio moved over to left tackle as the replacement for Joe Thomas, the Browns have been starting Austin Corbett and Spencer Drango.

Corbett has had his rookie bumps along the way but has shown promise. Drango, on the other hand, has been a liability. They hope he won’t be out there much longer, but another injury to Zeitler would put him back as a starter.

That’s why many of us paid attention when news broke that veteran guard Earl Watford was released by the Chicago Bears early this week. Apparently, the front office also paid attention because on Tuesday, the Browns did come to terms with the veteran.

Watford was originally a fourth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals out of James Madison back in 2013 and was with them until 2016. After that, he spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and most recently, the Bears. He’s played 43 games and started 21 of them in that time.

For the Browns, the hope is still that Corbett, the No. 33 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, becomes a solid starter at the left position. They also would love to see Zeitler back in the mix at right guard.

Watford now is simply an emergency option that they have to feel much better about than they were with Drango.