There’s always an element of the unknown at the start of every NFL league year, but for the Cleveland Browns, one thing’s for certain: major 2026 changes are coming for the offensive line.
The extent of those changes remains to be seen, as veteran Joel Bitonio, 2023 draft pick Dawand Jones, and 2025 free agent signing Teven Jenkins could all still factor into the team’s plans. But during his press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday, Browns general manager Andrew Berry all but confirmed that major moves are looming.
Berry specifically mentioned Ryan Poles and the 2025 Chicago Bears as a potential blueprint.
The Bears essentially replaced four of their five starters up front, with right tackle Darnell Wright, their first-round draft pick in 2023, the lone holdover. Chicago also retained left tackle Braxton Jones, but they used a second-round pick on Ozzy Trapilo in the 2025 draft, and the rookie wound up taking over as the starter from Week 12 on.
Poles also traded for a pair of veteran guards in Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, and signed center Drew Dalman in free agency. That group wound up anchoring one of the NFL’s top rushing attacks as the Bears made a surprise run from 5-12 in 2024 to NFC North champions in head coach Ben Johnson’s first year.
The symmetry to Cleveland’s current situation is clear, with Bitonio currently weighing his personal future, and a host of other aging Browns starters — Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, and Ethan Pocic — expected to move on in 2026.
Berry will have to make moves in Year 1 of the Todd Monken era, and he hinted Tuesday that trades, free agency, the draft, and the team’s own developmental pieces will all be in play as the front office works to revamp the offensive line.
“They did a combination of internal development, veteran additions, and draft,” Berry said of the Bears, “So it’s a nice mixture of youth and experience, and I think we would look to take a similar approach if the player markets line up for us.”
Browns could follow Bears blueprint for bold O-line reset
Holding two first-round selections in the 2025 draft, the Browns will definitely have options. They’ll have to be strategic, though, as they manage a tricky salary cap situation while turning over a sizable portion of the roster on offense.
They don’t have their version of Darnell Wright — yet. That will likely change come April, as the Browns will almost certainly come away with one of the top offensive tackle prospects in this year’s class. As it stands, Cleveland holds pick Nos. 6, 24, and 39 overall.
Most experts believe the Browns will land one — if not two — of the top Day 1 tackle prospects. And since the consensus top guys play on the right side, let’s pencil in a Day 1 rookie starter, like Miami’s Francis Mauigoa or Utah’s Spencer Fano, in that spot.
The left tackle spot figures to be solidified in March, likely via free agency. The Browns could go big (like for Rasheed Walker of the Packers), or think more team-friendly in terms of the contract with Chicago’s Braxton Jones or New England’s Vederian Lowe. Adding a veteran for that spot would allow Dawand Jones to open the season as Cleveland's swing tackle, which would be ideal coming off last year’s season-ending injury.
The Browns could attack the guard spots both in the draft and in the trade market. In a perfect world, Bitonio returns for one more year to help solidify the group, but adding another young developmental piece feels like a must. If Bitonio retires, Jenkins — a former Poles draft pick — could be asked to step up along with another veteran addition.
Center feels like the ideal spot for an established, plug-and-play veteran. The 28-year-old Connor McGovern of the Buffalo Bills could make sense, after Buffalo led the NFL in rushing in 2025.
It feels unprecedented for a team like the Browns to replace four or five of their top offensive linemen, but it actually happens quite often in the NFL. The Bears might be the most comparable example, both based on Cleveland’s current situation and how it wants to play on offense, and Berry did everything but scream to fans on Tuesday that a similar approach is coming in 2026.