It's no secret the Browns have had a massive issue at offensive tackle this season, as veteran Jack Conklin had an early absence following a Week 1 elbow injury, while Dawand Jones suffered a season-ending injury. As a result, swing tackle Cornelius Lucas was thrust into a full-time starting role basically from the jump. They have since acquired Cam Robinson and got Conklin back from injury, but the trade was more a result of not getting near the level of play they need from Lucas or KT Leveston.
Lucas is in his age-34 season, where he has mostly been the sixth offensive tackle who fills in during a pinch for an injured starter. While that was originally his job when he signed a two-year deal this offseason, he quickly became a starter with the injuries up front. Unfortunately, the once-steady veteran has not played like he did during the first 12 years of his career, putting up an abysmal start to his Cleveland tenure.
Cornelius Lucas struggled taking on a larger role than usual
Per PFF, Lucas is graded as the 97th-ranked offensive tackle out of 113 players with a 45 overall grade. He's put up a horrid 35.6 pass blocking grade on the 14th most pass blocking snaps of any tackle. PFF has credited Lucas with allowing 28 pressures in those snaps, including two sacks, which has led to his horrendous grade. No tackle in the NFL has allowed more pressures through five weeks than Lucas, and that's without him getting a single snap in Week 5.
The rest of the offense has undeniably had their issues as well - from apathetic play out of Joe Flacco, to receivers struggling to create consistent separation - but most of those issues could be partially hidden with better offensive tackle play. It's unfortunate they could not get better play out of Lucas, but perhaps more time learning the offense, along with some continuity, could better prepare him for the next time his number is called upon.
Considering Lucas is one of the few offensive linemen under contract in 2026, the Browns could really use him to get back on track to at least be a competent swing tackle option going forward.