3 Matchups that will make or break the Browns in Week 1

Matchup No. 2: Za’Darius Smith vs Jonah Williams

Imagine for a moment that you are Jonah Williams. First, the Bengals inform you that you are being moved to right tackle against your wishes. With that move comes a ton of work to transition to being a right tackle and also means a significant dip in your potential future earnings as an NFL player.

But then you think of the bright side. At least you won’t have to deal with Myles Garrett twice a year. Then only to find out in your first game as a starting right tackle you have to match up with Za’Darius Smith.

Now Smith may not be the household name that Garrett is, but inside offensive line meeting rooms, he's regarded as a tough day out for any offensive tackle. Smith’s ability to win with either speed or power or the combination of the two makes it difficult for opposing offensive tackles to get a read on him.

Plus, Smith also has alignment versatility to win from literally anywhere along the defensive line, making him just as much of a nightmare for offensive coordinators as he is for the tackles that he terrorizes.

When you factor in that Williams will be making his first-ever NFL start at right tackle, you have a possible recipe for disaster for Cincinnati.

With Garrett getting the vast majority of attention on the opposite side of the line, Williams is going to be stuck on an island with Smith. If Williams is not up to the task of neutralizing Smith, then Joe Burrow is going to have a long day on the shores of Lake Erie.