Shocking as it may be, despite the Browns' struggles to field an all-around competent roster since they returned to the NFL in 1999, they seemingly have had serendipitous fortune along the offensive line. From the 11 years of Hall of Fame play they got from Joe Thomas, to the 12 years of elite work from Joel Bitonio, to the admittedly too-short seven years of top-tier performance from Alex Mack, the Browns have had true NFL greats along the offensive line.
That's without even mentioning standout players like Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, Mitchell Schwartz, and John Greco, among other Browns fan favorites who have seen their efforts not amount to much due to the team's shortcomings. This very history is what makes the precarious position the Browns found themselves in along the offensive line in the 2025 offseason so jarring.
In 2024, Pro Football Focus ranked the team's offensive line fourth in the entire league. A tumultuous and injury-riddled season saw expectations (and performance) plummet. PFF was skeptical ahead of the 2025 season, ranking the offensive line, which only saw one defection in Jedrick Wills Jr., 27th. Their prediction proved prescient, and the Browns' debacle of a season led to an entire rebuild of the line over the past month.
The Athletic's Mike Sando penned his annual piece summarizing his conversations with anonymous NFL executives who opine on that year's free agency period. One unnamed exec, with shameless candor, bemoaned the sheer speed at which the Browns' offensive line crumbled.
"Their line was absolutely abysmal, which is crazy. It shows you how quickly it can go on the offensive line," the unnamed executive told Sando. "They had (acclaimed line coach Bill) Callahan there two years ago. I give them a lot of credit. Obviously, these guys are not all superstars. But they had to do that."
Why the Browns’ offensive line collapsed so quickly
Some may even view the comments as a bit of pity thrown Andrew Berry's way for what couldn't have been predicted. Pro Football Focus would surely object, but the decision to stick with the aging veterans who were already showing signs of wear and tear two years ago proved costly in 2025. Through injuries to Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, and Ethan Pocic, the Browns learned that 2024 wasn't an aberration the hard way.
What's more, perhaps the Browns did not realize the gravity of losing legendary offensive line coach Bill Callahan, though it's fair to question whether his presence would've made any difference as it relates to injury luck. The predictive aspect of the unpredictable is perhaps the most difficult part of an NFL general manager's duties.
On the bright side, despite pundits having a field day clowning the Browns for their efforts in rebuilding the unit, at least one rival executive gave them an (admittedly backhanded) compliment for the moves they made. With the additions of Zion Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, and Tytus Howard, the Browns added 255 games of NFL experience to their offensive line.
These players were all high draft choices at one point, and notably starters for their respective teams in 2025. Without crediting Andrew Berry too much for navigating his way through the mess he largely created, it's fair to say he could've done a lot worse. Getting credit from another executive in a position to know more than the average fan actually carries a lot of weight.
Then again, this executive could've been from the Jets organization, which ... yikes. For the sake of Browns fans' hopes, however, we'll choose to assume it came from an exec of one of the league's best teams. It's the least we can do.