Austin Barber entered his first training camp with the Cleveland Browns searching for a role, initially stuck behind veteran Tytus Howard as the reserve right tackle. But once the preseason games arrived, especially Weeks 2 and 3, Barber began to flash the versatility and upside that prompted the Browns to trade up to select him in the third round of April’s draft.
Barber’s ascent over the past two weeks may have pushed a respected veteran — one who had seemed to earn head coach Todd Monken’s trust — out the door.
Per NFL insider Aaron Wilson, third-year pro KT Leveston is set to be waived as one of the casualties of Cleveland’s young and revamped offensive line. That news constitutes a mild surprise, as with expected starter Teven Jenkins missing time early in camp with an injury, Leveston had worked exclusively with the first unit at right guard.
Barber’s play at that position over the Browns’ preseason games against the Bills and the Patriots likely forced Cleveland’s decision on Leveston, as ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reacted on social media.
“KT Leveston began camp competing with Teven Jenkins to start at RG. He wasn’t able to unseat Jenkins and was moved to OT in recent weeks,” Oyefusi wrote. “Austin Barber’s work at RG also made Leveston expendable.”
Austin Barber's rapid development may have changed the Browns' offensive line plans
After Sunday’s final roster cuts are made, the Browns will have two weeks to prepare for their Sept. 13 road opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Barber mixed in at tackle during the Browns’ preseason opener at Chicago, but he didn’t pop until moving inside to start the Bills game. He wound up being Cleveland’s highest-graded offensive player from the preseason, per Pro Football Focus, propelled by an elite 80.5 run-blocking score.
It would make sense for the Browns to put their best run-blocking guard on the right side, and the edge likely belongs to Jenkins — for now. Monken left the door open for Barber to steal that job over the next handful of practices, which will be closed to reporters as the team shifts into regular-season mode.
“I love our depth there,” Monken said. “I think Teven has the advantage, obviously, as the veteran player, but we still have this week, we still have today and a few practices to really finalize. I’d give Teven the lean, but I don’t think it’s done yet.”
Monken talked up Leveston at various stages of camp, too, but the Browns have plenty of depth at tackle led by Spencer Fano, Howard, and Dawand Jones. The coach gave a short answer on Leveston on Saturday, simply stating “he does” when asked if Leveston has looked better at tackle than guard. That was probably the final straw.
Leveston will go through the waivers process and could return to Cleveland’s practice squad. The bigger story here is Barber, though. The rookie continues to make a palpable push after a quiet start to the offseason.
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