Cleveland Browns: Left tackle position changing yet again
By Randy Gurzi
The Cleveland Browns again are tinkering with their offensive line and have named undrafted free agent Desmond Harrison the starter for Sunday’s game
After keeping the decision about who will start at left tackle for the Cleveland Browns this Sunday a secret all week, Hue Jackson has finally let us all in. He announced on Friday that undrafted rookie Desmond Harrison will get the start and Joel Bitonio will move back to left guard.
It’s a somewhat surprising move for two reasons. One, Harrison didn’t take any preseason snaps with the first-team until Week 4 — when the main starters were all sitting. Second, Bitonio has been practicing exclusively at left tackle in preparation for the season.
Fortunately, Bitonio is a strong enough player that this shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Harrison and Bitonio will make up the left side with Kevin Zeitler at right guard, Chris Hubbard at right tackle and J.C. Tretter in the middle.
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Going forward, the coach said he hopes this is the team that will protect quarterback Tyrod Taylor and open holes for their talented running back trio.
"“He’s talented enough, I think this is hopefully going to be our lineup as we travel through the season,” Jackson said via Patrick Maks of ClevelandBrowns.com. “I feel good about those five guys, I think this is going to give us the best chance for success.”"
Cleveland looked ready to play rookie Austin Corbett at left guard with Bitonio at tackle. However, it appears they feel like Harrison starting gets their best five on the field.
While it may seem to be a knock on Corbett, it really isn’t. The rookie out of Nevada was learning a new position at guard and the belief is he will eventually try and take over at center.
Harrison meanwhile was a standout at West Georgia after suspension led him out of Texas. His athleticism is intriguing, but playing against lesser talent had some unsure of how he would transition to the NFL.
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So far, he’s looked the part and could be the left tackle of the future. He still has some huge shoes to fill since he’s replacing Joe Thomas, but the young man appears up to the task.