Dawand Jones’ roster spot felt safe after he agreed to restructure his contract — and accept a pay cut — in exchange for a guaranteed base salary of $1.15 million for the 2026 season. Through the install phase of training camp, he was getting first-team reps at left tackle over No. 9 overall draft pick Spencer Fano.
But as promised, Todd Monken and the Browns’ coaching staff used Sunday’s off day to watch practice film and evaluate the state of the roster ahead of this week’s preseason opener at Chicago.
Something on that film sent Jones’ stock plummeting entering Week 3 of Browns training camp.
Fano’s viral back-and-forth with Jared Verse served as the backdrop, but there was a clear tone shift from Monken on Monday when he revealed to reporters that Fano will now work as the starting left tackle until further notice. The rookie had been rotating with Jones, and offensive line coach George Warhop recently said that he could see Jones winning the job.
But Monken left no gray area when asked about the situation during Monday’s press conference:
“I’ve been awfully proud of Dawand by what he’s done in the offseason to get himself into shape, and his body looks like it is. But at this point, Spencer’s playing better. Now once that happens, you’re not only competing to try, ‘Hey, maybe if something happens I could be the right tackle. Maybe I’m still competing there.’ And yet you’re also competing, like, ‘Alright, once that happens, I’m competing for a roster spot.’ That’s what you’re doing at that point. Once you get to that point I’m like, OK, I better compete for a roster spot. When you end up rotating then with your twos, now you’re fighting to make the team.”
Todd Monken’s tone shift on Dawand Jones is impossible to ignore
Something changed here, and while Monken talked up Fano’s competitive spirit in his recent one-on-one reps against Verse, it’s hard to fathom that one practice completely flipped a competition that seemed to be close to even just days ago.
“I think there’s a world in a number of spots where a player could end up starting there as you get the other players up to speed,” Monken said last week. “We’re not really there yet. Let’s start with Dawand. He’s in the best shape of his life. I mean, he’s out there competing, talking smack, seems to be in a really good place that we want to reward that. And we also want to bring Spencer along at a pace we feel like is the best to build his confidence. And I think (offensive line coach) George Warhop is doing a great job with that.”
Monken switching from “could end up starting” to “now you’re fighting to make the team” when discussing Jones could be nothing more than gamesmanship. The Browns have a bit of a surplus at tackle, with third-round rookie Austin Barber currently blocked from seeing many meaningful reps behind Tytus Howard, Fano, and Jones. The team is also a bit light along the interior, to the point where tackle KT Leveston has emerged as a real threat to Teven Jenkins to start at right guard.
The Browns could be greasing the skids for a trade, as Jones’ elite size and cheap contract could potentially fetch a decent return on the trade market. At over 6-foot-8 and 370 pounds with a near 89-inch wingspan, Jones would definitely have suitors if he can prove that he’s healthy.
Jones probably isn’t in Cleveland's long-term plans, as the team chose to go the contract restructure route over an extension this spring. He’s felt like a shoo-in for Monken’s initial 53-man roster, though, and it’s hard to ignore what the head coach said on Monday. He definitely put Jones on notice.
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