Cleveland Browns film breakdown: Is Drew Forbes the answer at right guard?

The Best Aspects of Forbes’ Game

When watching film on Drew Forbes, it was clear that he was improving over the preseason. The Drew Forbes that got hurt against the Lions in week four of the preseason was not the same Drew Forbes who played against the Colts. He steadily improved, which makes it exciting to see what he can do this preseason. It was clear that he had a role on this football team, at least as a backup.

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What was evident on the film was a guy who was constantly vigilant with his eyes. He constantly had his head up, looking around to make sure he knew what the defense was doing. In pass protection, his best attribute was when he was uncovered in a slide.

He would post up the one technique for the center and keep his eyes in his gap consistently, and looked really good at picking up blitzes, especially for a rookie.

In an NFL where the defense has been getting more aggressive with twist games, a player like Forbes who was solid at picking up blitzes has increased value. He wasn’t perfect but showed great potential to develop elite eyes for an offensive lineman.

In the run game, he constantly found himself keeping his eyes glued to the second level. He never got his head buried into a down lineman. This led to some problems with getting push off of the ball, but if he has a good center like J.C. Tretter next to him and elite runningbacks like Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt reading off of his blocks, this won’t be a problem.

Forbes also showed above-average athleticism for an offensive guard. These preseason games were the first time he was playing guard, as he was predominantly a left tackle in college. He looked comfortable at right guard the most, which is what he got the most reps at.

With his above-average athleticism, Forbes’ best part of his game was playing in open space. He excelled at getting his block on linebackers and defensive backs, which will be huge in the Browns offense underneath Coach Stefanski.