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Looking at the 2021 Cleveland Browns offensive line

By Greg Newland

Nov 1, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills (71) prepares to take the field before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 1, 2020; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills (71) prepares to take the field before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Raiders at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

The Interior Line

The Browns may very well have the best interior offensive line in the NFL with Joel Bitonio, J.C. Tretter, and Wyatt Teller. All three are athletic in the zone run scheme and all have tremendous strength for pass protection. All three starters will likely return in 2021, but the future could be in some question.

Bitonio is the most underrated offensive lineman in the NFL. The guy can literally do it all and has just been on a lot of bad teams. It made me sick that he couldn’t play in the first-round playoff game vs. the Steelers, and I was so happy to see him get his shot vs. the Chiefs in the Divisional Round.

Bitonio is under contract through 2022 with a friend cap number of $10 million for the next two years. However, with so many other positions needing to be paid I’m not confident the Browns will want to make an aggressive offer to the longest-tenured player on the Browns roster. Bitonio will be 32 at the end of his contract and may be willing to stay in Cleveland for another two to three years slightly below his value, if that’s the case he would be a great one to keep.

Tretter is also under contract through 2022 and his cap hit goes from just over $11 million in 2021 to just under $10 million in 2022. Tretter is a guy who isn’t the strongest or most athletic player, but he is usually the smartest guy on the field and uses that to his advantage.

The starting center will be in the same boat as Bitonio at the end of his contract at 32 years old. Harris was a center in college and looks to be the future for the Browns, so look for Tretter to not get an extension from the Browns. If Harris has huge progress in 2021, Tretter could even be a cap casualty in the 2022 offseason.

Teller is my favorite of the interior line. He is athletic, quick, strong, and has a mean streak which is a necessity in the NFL as an offensive lineman. Teller, who may be the best guard in the NFL is set to make just over $2 million in the 2021 season. The Browns will either milk him for one more season and likely must let him go or try and sign him to a nice extension in the 2021 offseason and save some money.

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If Berry can keep him for $7-8 million a year, you sign him up. The former fifth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills has shown he can be dominant on the field but has had issues staying healthy. Teller is an interesting one that Berry has to be careful with, but I hope to see him in brown and orange for a long time.

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