Most of the AFC North addressed the tackle position this offseason. The Cincinnati Bengals signed Pro Bowler Orlando Brown Jr. to a big contract as a free agent. The Pittsburgh Steelers traded up in the first round to land Broderick Jones.
With limited draft resources, even the Cleveland Browns managed to land Dawand Jones, who slid all the way into the fourth round in spite of some early draft buzz that he could be as high as a first-round candidate. By draft time a slide was predicted, but not all the way into day three.
The concerns, however, were reasonable. His dedication was questioned, and it didn’t seem to get all that better after the draft. His weight ballooned again and there were reports of him struggling with his conditioning during OTAs.
At least at the start of training camp, however, that seems to be a different story. “He came back at a good weight like he was supposed to”, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said of the rookie yesterday. “I think he’s ready to work”.
Jones, at least at his motivated best, has elite potential and was a starter for Ohio St. along with first-round T Parris Johnson. At 6’8” and generously listed at 375 pounds, he’s a guy who’s simply hard to get around, but he is also a good athlete for his size—and there was speculation that he might prefer basketball over football, as well.
But the issue with Jones as perceived by evaluators is going to be keeping him motivated to be the best he can be. He’s still young, only about to turn 22 in the coming weeks, and has plenty of time to learn not just the game but how to be a professional and how to take care of his body.
The Browns don’t have to rush him, though. They already have starters at tackle with Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin, the latter actually still just 28 years old even with seemingly an ample amount of NFL experience behind him already.
If they can develop him, however, he could be an elite right tackle at some point in his career. Conklin is under contract through 2026, but his guarantees run out after the 2024 season, making him releasable by then. That may be a target point where Cleveland wants to see Jones ready for a full-time starting role.
And if it never gets to that point, so be it. After all, there was a reason he was not drafted in the first three rounds. A solid backup is still a good haul for a fourth-round pick if that’s what it ends up being for Jones. As long as he doesn’t eat his way out of the league or simply give up on the game, that should be his floor.
