Cleveland Browns: Could Austin Corbett cause a Kevin Zeitler departure?

Cleveland Browns right guard Kevin Zeitler was a top player last season, but could Austin Corbett push him out of Cleveland?

The Cleveland Browns had one of the best interior offensive lines in the NFL last season. The combination of Kevin Zeitler, J.C. Tretter, and Joel Bitonio helped keep quarterback Baker Mayfield from facing much pressure.

Both Zeitler and Bitonio have contracts that will keep them in Cleveland until 2022, and Tretter is expected to receive a contract extension during the off-season or at some point in 2019.

But should any problems arise with any of three players, the Browns have an insurance plan in second-year player Austin Corbett.

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Corbett did not receive much playing time in 2018 after the Browns felt he could not manage the tackle position in the NFL. His lack of playing time made many Browns fans view him as a bust.

However, if the Browns want him on the field next season, they may have to move one of their talented interior offensive linemen to put Corbett in the starting-five on the offensive line. During an interview on WKRK-FM, 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com said Zeitler could be traded if the Browns want Corbett starting next season.

"“They want to get Austin Corbett on the field somehow and I’ve been trying to figure out how they could do that. One of the ways could be to possibly trade Kevin Zeitler and try to move Austin Corbett into his spot. That unloads a big salary, it would have to have happen after June 1 because of salary considerations. But that’s a way, if a team feels that they are one really, really good guard away from going somewhere next year, they have a surplus there. So, he might be somebody to look at there.” – Mary Kay Cabot on 92.3 The Fan"

Cabot was also asked if Tretter could be in the same category with Zeitler as a potential trade option to get Corbett on the field, but she feels that center is not a position that should have much change over. She also said Corbett, although he was the backup last season, does not have much experience playing center.

The future of Corbett is an interesting case for several reasons. The biggest one being that general manager John Dorsey would not want to get rid of one of his top selections so soon. And if the Browns staff feels that Corbett definitely can’t play tackle, then he will be blocked from starting for a while unless they move one of their three interior linemen.

That is why Cabot brings up a potential Zeitler trade. It would be extremely unlikely that the Browns would decide to keep Zeitler over Bitonio considering Bitonio is younger and is a team leader. He is also on a cheaper contract.

When the Browns signed Zeitler during the 2017 free agency period, they signed him to the biggest contract given to a guard at the time. In 2019, Zeitler has a $10 million salary and has a $12.4 million cap hit, according to Spotrac.

If the Browns really want to get Corbett on the field, a Zeitler trade would pay off in multiple ways. It allows one of their top draft choices in 2018 to get on the field as well as getting them off of Zeitler’s massive contract. But as Cabot points out, the Browns would need to trade him after June 1 since his dead cap would not be as severe of a problem as it would if they trade him before June 1.

A Zeitler trade would still be surprising considering how well he performed last season. The 28-year-old was graded as one of the best pass blocking guards in the NFL and helped keep the pocket clean for Mayfield. By trading Zeitler and starting Corbett, the Browns could be testing Mayfield’s durability if Corbett is not as good of a pass blocker as Zeitler is.

But with the Browns investing the 33rd overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft in Corbett, Cleveland will have some tough decisions to make about his future. Although it may hurt the team in the short-term, a Zeitler trade is something that the Browns could consider.