Cleveland Browns: 3 Questions ahead of Week 1 of the 2019 season

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TAMPA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 23: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Cleveland Browns calls a play during a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on August 23, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

3. Can the O-Line hold up?

The most disturbing part of the Cleveland Browns ‘dress rehearsal’ game in Week 3 of the preseason was the struggles of the offensive line. This group was constantly in the storylines throughout the offseason, mainly due to the departure of Kevin Zeitler who was traded to the New York Giants.

With him no longer manning the right guard spot, the Browns had several players take turns trying to replace him with Austin Corbett, Kyle Kalis, and Drew Forbes all coming into the conversation. In the end, it was free agent pick up Eric Kush who ended up getting the nod for Week 1.

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All eyes will be on Kush due to the fact that he’s replacing one of the better interior linemen in the NFL, but he wasn’t the only player who struggled in that Week 3 contest.

The entire line was off their game as Baker Mayfield was under duress from the moment the ball was snapped.

He ended up having an ugly statistical night, which was capped off with a pick to end the first half. However, that really wasn’t his fault as no one could have been succesful under the pressure he was facing.

Now as they prepare to go up against an underrated Tennessee defense, the front line players for the Browns need to re-discover the magic they found to close out the 2018 season. In those final eight games, they surrendered just five sacks and Mayfield and the team went 5-3 in that stretch.

The skill players are there and should have no problem putting points on the board for Cleveland. The question is whether or not the line will allow them the time necessary to get the job done.

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