Might the Browns end up replacing retired legend Joe Thomas with an undrafted rookie at left tackle?
Cleveland coach Hue Jackson is certainly open to the possibility, telling reporters Monday that former West Georgia star Desmond Harrison is a candidate to step in on Tyrod Taylor's blindside.
"He's just improved," Jackson explained, via the Plain Dealer. "So it gives you another option to look through to see who's the best five guys to put out there."
Jackson clarified that "nothing's changed" with the starting lineup as of Monday, but acknowledged that "we've got a week" to reconsider before the season opener versus the vaunted Steelers. He's also weighing the idea of former Rams draft bust Greg Robinson as an alternative to Harrison and converted left guard Joel Bitonio.
With right guard Kevin Zeitler on the shelf for most of August, second-round rookie Austin Corbett has been working with the starters on the interior, kicking Bitonio out to left tackle. Regardless of his ultimate position, Bitonio will likely line up next to a rookie either way.
The question is whether that rookie is Harrison at left tackle or Corbett at left guard.
At 6-foot-6 and 295 pounds with rare athleticism and quick feet, Harrison offers the physical traits of a starting NFL tackle. If not for a toe injury that cost him the first two weeks of training camp, the job might already be his.
"He can move, man," Bitonio testified. "He's athletic. He's definitely the most athletic lineman we have. And he has the length, he has the size, he's the prototypical left tackle when you think of a left tackle. He's like 6-6, long arms, can get back and set. He's done some good things."
Jackson already has a "pretty good idea" how the line will shake out, but he's not going to make that decision public until later in the week.
Would he be willing to give Harrison a baptism by fire against disruptive Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward, a first-team All Pro selection in 2017? Tune in Sunday afternoon to find out.
