The most frustrating part about the Cleveland Browns’ ongoing competition at right guard is the absence of the player who seemed earmarked for the job coming out of college.
The Browns made Zak Zinter the No. 85 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, taking a calculated gamble on a player still recovering from a broken tibia and fibula suffered during his final year of college. The traits of a potential franchise guard were there, though, and Zinter notably spent his entire career at Michigan locking down the right guard spot.
But between injury issues and established veterans like Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller blocking him from meaningful reps over the past two years, Zinter entered training camp this summer with just three career starts and a whopping 279 total offensive snaps on his NFL resume.
Zinter’s chances of emerging from the rubble Shredder style and earning a significant role have seemed doomed from the start. Despite his college experience at the position, Zinter hasn’t been in the mix at right guard. Even with interior linemen Teven Jenkins, Elgton Jenkins, and Parker Brailsford out with injuries on Thursday, Zinter opened Day 8 of training camp working with the second unit at left guard.
His summer then took an unfortunate twist. Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Zinter was carted off the practice field with an apparent injury during a 1-on-1 blocking period.
Zak Zinter getting a cart ride to the locker room.
— Zac Jackson (@AkronJackson) August 6, 2026
The Browns' offensive line numbers game isn't doing Zak Zinter any favors
When head coach Todd Monken assembles his initial 53-man roster later this month, it’s hard to see a path for Zinter to be included. And that was before he was added to the team’s already alarming list of camp injuries.
Why the Browns would prioritize KT Leveston, an offensive tackle, as a potential frontrunner for the right guard job over Zinter is telling. It’s not just Monken, either. Zinter worked mostly as a reserve left guard behind Bitonio during Kevin Stefanski’s tenure as well.
Perhaps the biggest red flag in Zinter's development was his lack of playing time during Cleveland’s injury-ridden 2025 season. The Browns’ offensive line was a constant juggling act, basically from Week 1 on. Reserve linemen like Leveston, Luke Wypler, Cornelius Lucas, and Teven Jenkins all rotated in and saw at least 270 snaps.
Zinter played 46 total snaps in 2025, the ninth-fewest on the entire roster, per Pro Football Focus.
Time will tell how the numbers game shakes out, but Cleveland will likely carry at least nine offensive linemen on the active roster. The perceived locks right now are Tytus Howard, Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, Teven Jenkins, and rookies Spencer Fano, Austin Barber, and Parker Brailsford. Leveston and Dawand Jones have both mixed in with the starting unit in camp and appear to be on the right side of the bubble. If Cleveland also keeps one of its two depth centers, Wypler or Kingsley Eguakun, it'll reach its projected maximum of 10.
Hopefully Zinter’s injury is nothing major and he can get back on the practice field in short order. The Browns are now less than 10 days out from their first preseason game.
But judging by his luck in Cleveland so far, it’s easy to predict how Zinter's story ends in Berea this summer.
Add us as a preferred source on Google