The Cleveland Browns were always going to experience some growing pains dealing with a completely rebuilt offensive line this offseason. But he’s coming off a game in which he allowed eight sacks to the New York Jets, and with a game that has struggled all season, it looks like the unit has taken too long to develop.
Entering Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Browns are still looking for consistent play from their offensive line. While they have overcome the penalty trend that plagued them early on, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell recently revealed his No. 1 concern with the Browns’ offensive line, saying it hasn’t developed the necessary cohesion to be successful.
“No one ever talks about the individuals. They all talk about unit unity. That’s the No. 1 thing they talk about. And unfortunately unit unity doesn’t happen like a light switch. It takes time. Especially if you ask someone. [Austin] It is not easy for a barber to play a new position. How many times do we hear when we get attacked in college, ‘Oh, he’s a guard.’ It’s not that easy. It just doesn’t happen. It’s going to take some time because there’s a lot of unity out there and it’s not there right now. There are all kinds of things that happen automatically that you don’t even think about. And now I guarantee that there are many ideas going around,” Kosell said.
Barber, a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, joined the fray late in the preseason by moving from tackle to safety. He became the Week 1 starter when Teven Jenkins was sidelined with a long-term back injury.
That gave the Browns two new players who switched positions. No. 9 overall pick Spencer Fano is the starting left tackle after playing right tackle the past two college seasons.
They join veteran right tackle Tyuts Howard, left guard Zion Johnson and center Elgton Jenkins. Howard left last week’s game against the Jets with a knee injury and was replaced by Dawand Jones, but he was removed from the injury report and will play against the Ravens.
Jenkins missed Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers after suffering a concussion in Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers. He was replaced by Luke Wypler.
Now the unit will have to deal with a Ravens defense that ranks 14th in the NFL, allowing 325.6 yards per game. Baltimore is 12th in rushing defense and has 10 sacks in five games.
With a win, the Browns will move back into first place in the AFC North and will need a strong performance from their offensive line to get there.
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