Jack Conklin hasn't played left tackle since 2017 but the Cleveland Browns might need to call upon him this season.
The Cleveland Browns have been dealing with injuries along their offensive line once again. They had to send Hakeem Adeniji to the IR after he was injured in their second preseason game. Also banged up during that contest was Germain Ifedi and James Hudson, bringing up bad memories from last year.
After losing Jack Conklin in Week 1 of the 2023 season, they ended up seeing his replacement, Dawand Jones, as well as starting left tackle Jedrick Wills, Jr. join him on the IR by season's end. Once they were in the playoffs, the Browns were down to Geron Christian and James Hudson - with Leroy Watson eventually seeing the field as well.
So far, they're still waiting for Wills to be cleared and Conklin is still ramping things up. The good news is that he's on the practice field and could have a new role this season. On Tuesday, Browns Film Breakdown noticed he was working from the left tackle perspective.
Having Conklin prepare to be the swing tackle or even the full-time left tackle is something that has been brought up often this offseason.
Conklin played left tackle at Michigan State but that was nearly a decade ago. Selected by the Tennessee Titans in 2016, he had 41 snaps at left tackle in 2016 and 26 in his second season. Since then, he's been a fixture on the right side and has been one of the best in the NFL.
Cleveland decided against adding an offensive tackle in one of the deepest draft classes in recent memory, meaning they need to get creative to make sure they don't have a repeat of 2023. Having Conklin get ready for LT duty, even if only in an emergency situation, proves they understand this and are working to avoid any issues down the road.
