Cleveland Browns hoping to sign Ronald Leary to add competition at RG

The Cleveland Browns are hoping to add right guard starting competition with Ronald Leary.

The Cleveland Browns are bringing in veteran offensive guard Ronald Leary for a visit with the hope of signing him to a contract, according to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. This comes one day after the NFL announced they had lifted their ban on teams working out free agents.

The 31-year-old last played for the Denver Broncos in 2019, starting in 12 games at right guard. The veteran has starting experience at both left and right guard during his eight-year career in the NFL.

Cleveland’s interest makes sense considering the Browns offensive guard depth took a major hit over the past two weeks due to players opting-out of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Browns were set to enter training camp with five guards on the roster, but three guards opted out of the season before last Thursday’s deadline.

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Leary would bring in plenty of experience to Cleveland’s offensive line. With Joel Bitonio set to be Cleveland’s starting left guard for the seventh-straight season, Leary would instantly compete for the starting right guard job. He would enter a competition with returning starter Wyatt Teller, Chris Hubbard and Nick Harris.

In his career, Leary has played in 77 games, with all but one as a starter. In the past three seasons with the Broncos, Leary has played in only 29 games, missing 19 games due to a variety of injuries, including a back injury in 2017, a torn Achilles in 2018, and concussions in 2019.

Leary has been inconsistent over the past two seasons, as Pro Football Focus has graded Leary as a lower-tier starting guard in the NFL. PFF gave Leary a 58.8 overall grade in 2019. Although he allowed only one sack, he was called for eight penalties.

Before signing with the Broncos in 2017, Leary had spent five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. During that time is when he established himself as a solid starting guard, which helped him land the four-year, $36 million deal with Denver.

Leary’s offensive line coach in Dallas for his first three seasons was current Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan, so there would be some familiarity between the two. Leary was the starting left guard for Callahan in 2014 when the Cowboys were considered the best offensive line in the league.

With plenty of uncertainty at right guard, especially with Teller as the starter, Leary would be ideal depth for the Browns. He has proven experience as a starter and could excel once again playing between J.C. Tretter and Jack Conklin. If Teller manages to keep the starting job, Leary’s experience will be extremely beneficial as a backup.

It would likely only be a one-year deal if the Browns do sign Leary, which creates an ideal situation for Cleveland. If Leary reuniting with Callahan brings him back to his old form, the Browns would have a top-tier starting offensive line. If Leary struggles, then Cleveland would not be tied to him past 2020 and would not hurt their salary cap situation.

With Cleveland’s lack of depth along the offensive line and questions at right guard, signing Leary makes plenty of sense. Although he has struggled to stay healthy recently, there is no denying his experience could help take Cleveland’s offensive line to the next level.