When Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns were looking for additional salary cap space back in March, veteran tackle Jack Conklin was an obvious lever to pull.
While as solid as they come at right tackle when healthy, Conklin entered his age-31 season with a $17 million cap hit and a pair of major knee injuries on his resume. The Browns were able to work out a restructured contract with Conklin that lowered his 2025 cap hit, and essentially afforded him the opportunity to test free agency in 2026.
Unfortunately for a Browns team that looks destined for a complete O-line rebuild this offseason, Conklin could be among Cleveland's several longtime veterans on their way out the door.
The team placed Conklin on season-ending injured reserve on Saturday, taking the cautious route after the 10-year pro suffered his second concussion of the season in Week 13. He was unable to get cleared for practice in what was his third week in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Conklin hasn’t played since suffering a concussion in Week 13, his second stint in the concussion protocol this season.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) December 20, 2025
The 31-year-old Conklin has missed 30 out of 51 regular season games since the 2023 season because of injury. The Browns and Conklin agreed to a reworked… https://t.co/w6Qs0v6ABO
Conklin’s absence sets up another opportunity for KT Leveston, who’s expected to start his third straight game for the Browns at right tackle in Sunday’s home game against the Buffalo Bills.
Jack Conklin’s Browns tenure appears to be coming to an unfortunate end
The Browns didn’t add much help at offensive tackle this offseason, outside of signing the 33-year-old Cornelius Lucas to a two-year deal. Their Week 1 group of Dawand Jones, Joel Bitonio, Ethan Pocic, Wyatt Teller and Conklin quickly got derailed by injuries, and only the Ironman himself — Bitonio — has been able to play in all 14 games this season.
Outside of Jones, Cleveland’s 2023 fourth-round draft pick, the average age of Cleveland’s first-string offensive line was 31.5 years old. All four of them are also unsigned beyond the 2025 season, with Bitonio, 34, likely to consider retirement over the coming months.
Change is coming. The Browns are almost certain to use some of their boosted draft capital on offensive linemen in 2026. Berry surprisingly passed on drafting a single O-lineman during this year’s draft, a decision that’s come back to bite the team as rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders works behind a group of second- and third-stringers, and Bitonio.
Berry left the depth chart especially thin at offensive tackle. No one’s expecting Cam Robinson, Cleveland’s in-season trade acquisition on the left side, to return to the team in 2026, and the same can be said about Conklin, whose age and injury history run counter to the team’s need to infuse more young talent into the O-line group.
If this is where it ends, it was a good run for Conklin, who earned a first-team All-Pro nod during his first season with the Browns in 2020. He wound up starting 57 total games for Cleveland, but was limited to 20 starts over these past two seasons after tearing his ACL early in 2023.
The only solace in Cleveland’s most recent three-win season is that the team seems to be building a solid young core. That has to continue up front for the Browns in 2026, with key guys of the past, like Conklin, likely moving on.