The final piece of the Browns' offensive line puzzle is all about the future

In the NFL, a team’s offensive line is often as good as its sixth man. The swing tackle, or the top reserve on both ends of the line, can easily get lost in the pre-training camp hype machine. But the importance of that role on a 53-man roster can’t be overstated.

For the 2025 Cleveland Browns, that player was 34-year-old veteran Cornelius Lucas, and he was summoned almost immediately.

Starting right tackle Jack Conklin had to exit the Browns’ season opener with an eye injury, prompting Lucas to step in and play 56 snaps. Lucas wound up starting Cleveland’s Week 2 game at Baltimore. In Week 3, the Browns flipped Dawand Jones, their Week 1 starter at left tackle, to the right side with Lucas on the left.

Bad injury luck ultimately forced the Browns into all-hands-on-deck mode, including an early-season trade for Cam Robinson. But more often than not, the swing tackle ends up playing prominent snaps over the course of a 17-game regular season. This 2026 season should be no different in Cleveland.

In our latest Dawg Fight feature, a series that digs into the 12 position battles that will shape Todd Monken’s first training camp, we’re venturing a bit outside of the box. Swing tackle technically isn’t listed on a team’s depth chart, but it’s become a spot teams prioritize as much as a starting guard or center.

The Dawg Fight at swing tackle: Who becomes the Browns' first man off the bench?

For the 2026 Browns, three players appear poised to battle it out in a competition that’s way too close to call ahead of camp. And it could be framed by an even bigger decision on Monken’s plate: His choice of who starts at right guard.

Teven Jenkins, who re-signed with Cleveland this offseason on a nearly fully guaranteed, $4 million contract, is the clear frontrunner to start at right guard. But if he falters, Monken could look to the roster’s newfound depth at tackle for potential solutions.

Rookie Austin Barber enters camp as a bit of a wild card, as he could feasibly work at left tackle behind starter Spencer Fano (Barber was a career left tackle with the Florida Gators) or right tackle behind veteran Tytus Howard as the Browns’ future bookend at that position. There’s also right guard, which hasn’t been ruled out by Monken publicly or those covering the team. If there’s no clear best man at right guard this summer, the team could simply prioritize reps for Barber, who they traded up for in the third round this past April.

In a perfect world? Barber continues to see the majority of his reps at tackle this season and proves to be a quality option on both sides of the line. The team would probably love to have Barber be the first man off the bench in the case of injury, but there are a pair of returning veterans who could ultimately have their say when the pads come on for real next month.

The top contenders for Browns’ swing tackle spot

Dawand Jones

• Why he can win the job: Experience. While his injury history is impossible to ignore, Jones has logged over 1,300 offensive snaps for the Browns, per Pro Football Focus, since they made him a fourth-round draft pick in 2023. He also agreed to a pay-cut this offseason in exchange for $1.2 million in 2026 guarantees, a move that could signal the team’s plan to carry him on the roster this season in at least a top reserve role.
• Why he can lose the job: He’s likely not in Cleveland’s long-term future. The Browns just signed Howard to a multi-year extension and drafted a pair of tackles in the 2026 draft. Jones appears destined for unrestricted free agency in 2027, and if he can stay healthy this summer and Barber looks good, Jones' cheap, expiring contract could be appealing to contending teams with depth issues at either tackle spot.

Austin Barber 

• Why he can win the job: Cleveland’s investment. The Browns aggressively targeted Barber on Day 2 of the draft, sending pick Nos. 105, 145, and 206 overall to the Los Angeles Chargers to land him with the 85th overall pick. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team prioritize immediate playing time and development. The Browns should be avoiding another Zak Zinter disaster at all costs.
• Why he can lose the job: He needs to learn the right side of the line. Barber hasn’t started a game at right tackle since the 2022 collegiate season. He’ll be learning on the fly a bit this summer, and the team could justify a cautious approach if he needs more time.

KT Leveston

• Why he can win the job: The coach likes him. Monken not only talked up Leveston a bit during mandatory spring minicamp, but he threw him out there with the starting unit at right guard for one practice. It appears that the Browns want to find snaps for the third-year pro, who’s probably at his best in the run game — a Monken staple.
• Why he can lose the job: His speed and athleticism were questioned entering the 2024 draft after he posted a mediocre 6.58 Relative Athletic Score at the scouting combine. Jones, meanwhile, has the massive wingspan measurables that GM Andrew Berry loves, and Barber was a combine star, posting a 9.81 RAS to rank 33rd overall among over 1,600 tackles rated since 1987.

The X-factors that could make or break the Browns’ swing tackle battle

The center position

We’ve covered the Browns’ battle at right guard extensively, but there’s a potential domino effect at center that’s impossible to ignore. Elgton Jenkins will likely lock that spot down this summer, but if fifth-round rookie Parker Brailsford has a big camp, the Browns would kick Elgton Jenkins over to right guard. In that scenario, Teven Jenkins would join the top reserves and potentially alter the pecking order in some fashion.

Scheme fit

The three contenders for Cleveland’s swing tackle job could not be more different. Barber’s speed and mobility are rare for a player that’s 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds. Jones is more of an imposing physical force who could add some edge to the group overall. Leveston is the mauler in the run game who could help set the tone there. The player who physically fits Monken’s vision for 2026 best could end up being first in line.

Conditioning 

The Browns’ training camp will essentially be preparation for their first two games of the regular season. Both will be played in Florida against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The swing tackle competition could come down to who can stand the heat. Our best guess would be to give Barber an edge in that department as he spent all five of his college playing years in Florida.

Prediction: Austin Barber edges the veterans as Browns’ swing tackle

There are a lot of factors pulling Barber’s way entering camp. He has the draft pedigree, rare athletic profile, and long-term upside to be the perfect swing tackle for the Browns in 2026. 

Jones is probably the most NFL-ready player of this group right now, but with his future in Cleveland almost certainly capped, a trade can’t be ruled out either this summer or over the first couple months of the season.

Monken loves to move his tackles in the run game. The ability to get out in space and block effectively could be the deciding factor here. Through that lens, Barber feels like the perfect future bookend tackle to Fano on the right side.

It would make sense for the team to start prioritizing reps for Barber at tackle from Day 1. He’s the future there, and that’s what this 2026 season should be all about for Cleveland.

Fight card: Swing tackle

• Leader: Dawand Jones

• Challengers: Austin Barber, KT Leveston

• Projected winner: Barber 

• Confidence level: 3.5 out of 5 

— The next Dawg Fight: Inside linebacker (Tuesday, July 14)

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