The Cleveland Browns have five new starters on the offensive line this season, including two rookies. As such, some growing pains were expected, as it was always going to take some time to get fully in sync.
Offensive line coach George Warhop's unit got off to a dreadful start to the season. Pre-snap issues, operational problems, and an overall sloppy offense had the team moving backwards more often than not in a blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fortunately, the lack of discipline and poor timing might be a thing of the past.
The Browns' offensive line was called for just two penalties (one accepted) in Week 6, and the turnaround has been noticeable.
Cleveland's offensive line is finally eliminating the mistakes that doomed it early
The Browns got flagged six times on offense in the season opener. Deshaun Watson took two delay-of-game penalties. Zion Johnson (2), Tytus Howard (1), and Blake Whiteheart (1) all committed pre-snap penalties.
The offense had five penalties (three of them accepted) in Week 2 against the Buccaneers and another six —three of them on Tytus Howard — in Week 3 against Carolina. It then committed four penalties in Week 4 against the Steelers (two accepted and just two on the offensive line), before committing another four (including two more delay-of-game flags) in Week 5 against the Jets.
This was always going to be a work in progress — so it's nice to actually see progress in the pre-snap-penalty department. What's more, Elgton Jenkins missed the win over the Steelers with a concussion, and Luke Wypler held his own. Howard missed most of Week 5 and Dawand Jones was flagged once in his 33 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Zion Johnson has been much better than advertised. He always flashed the athleticism, and maybe he just needed a change of scenery and system to live up to his full potential. As for Howard, he's probably been the weakest link, but he's been mostly a positive.
Over six weeks, Cleveland's offensive linemen keep climbing in PFF's rankings. Elgton Jenkins is No. 16 among 35 centers. Rookie Austin Barber and Zion Johnson rank No. 19 and No. 23, respectively, among 77 guards. Spencer Fano (another rookie) and Howard rank No. 27 and No. 55, respectively, among 74 eligible tackles.
Of course, there are still things to clean up, especially in the running game. But after watching this group constantly shoot itself in the foot multiple times and set the offense back with unforced errors, it's refreshing to see the guys learning from their mistakes and trending in the right direction.
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