The first question of Zion Johnson’s Week 1 press conference made him smile.
It was on rookie left tackle Spencer Fano, who’s set to make his NFL debut Sunday against a good and veteran-laden Jacksonville Jaguars defensive front. It’s a tall task for any rookie to line up on the quarterback’s blindside as a Week 1 starter, but Fano has given his teammates no reason to worry about his readiness for the moment.
Just ask the veteran guard who lines up next to him.
“He’s gotten better every single practice, every single day,” Johnson said of Fano Thursday. “His knowledge of the game has increased. It’s just been a pleasure to see how he works every day. When you work with guys like that who want to get better, it just gives you that juice every single day, too.”
Those sound like comments reserved for an established NFL veteran, not a 21-year-old who hasn’t played left tackle since his freshman year of college in 2023.
That confidence is an excellent sign for a franchise that could have its top offensive cornerstones — left tackle, quarterback, tight end, running back, and receiver — all on rookie contracts in the not-so-distant future.
The Browns need Spencer Fano to become a cornerstone before their next quarterback arrives
Mock draft season figures to come early for Browns fans this year. Cleveland will play six of its first nine games on the road, and one of those home games falls on a Thursday night against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Browns will field one of the youngest rosters in football, along with a first-time NFL head coach whose coordinators are also in new positions. Success in 2026 could be measured on a much broader plane than the final win-loss record.
A lot of that will come down to development, especially with the team's most recent draft picks. All eyes will be on wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston when Sunday’s game kicks off. Fans will be anxious to see what kind of snap share Emmanuel McNeil-Warren gets as an extra box safety. Third-round rookie Austin Barber, who appears poised to start at right guard following an injury to Teven Jenkins, could be playing meaningful snaps much sooner than expected.
But the franchise planted its flag on Fano, betting that the Utah Utes standout could transition from right to left tackle and lock down that position for years to come. If the Browns are right, and he proves that the lights aren’t too bright and he can lock down one of the NFL’s premium positions, all the optimism around the team’s current direction and timeline will hit another gear.
Cleveland holds two first-round selections in the 2027 draft, and given the state of next year’s projected free agent class — a group that potentially could be led by current Browns starter Deshaun Watson — the franchise’s next move is clear.
The Browns will almost certainly leave Day 1 of that draft with their next hand-picked quarterback of the future, and the opportunity to pair that player with an established young left tackle along with a booming skill position group could be a game-changer.
We have a long way to go here — as in a full regular season. But the Browns have something brewing, and the professionalism shown by their 21-year-old left tackle so far is a good sign that they’re on the right track.
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