The Browns may have found a real answer up front in Austin Barber, and it happened faster than anyone probably expected. While much of the attention around Cleveland’s 2026 NFL Draft class has centered on Spencer Fano, Barber was the rookie who stood out most in Week 1.
Barber got the start at right guard for the injured Teven Jenkins and might have done enough to keep it. He had already flashed there in the preseason, and Todd Monken sounded like a coach who noticed the growth.
“Austin has progressively been getting better every week. I was excited for him.
Not the outcome from a team standpoint. But to go back home.
Being from down there. I’m sure he had lots of family there.
He wanted to play well, and he did,” Monken said, adding that he could definitely keep the job even when Jenkins returns.
That’s a sharp turn for a player the Browns originally brought in as a swing tackle. Barber, a raw but intriguing Florida product, was battling Dawand Jones for that role late in camp before Cleveland shifted him inside. So far, that move looks like it may have unlocked him.
The fit makes sense. Barber appears tailor-made for Monken’s wide-zone run game, especially with the way he can climb and move defensive linemen laterally. That’s notable because he never played a snap at guard in college, yet he looked comfortable there right away.
Week 1 backed that up. Pro Football Focus gave Barber the top grade among rookie offensive linemen, and that list included nine first-round picks and three second-rounders. He allowed only one pressure and helped open running lanes against the Jaguars, even if Quinshon Judkins didn’t always take full advantage.
The early returns on the Browns’ line still come with some moving parts. Teven Jenkins remains out while dealing with a back injury, and he’s the only returning starter from last season. Even then, he was never guaranteed to keep the job in this revamped group.
Zion Johnson also had a rough first game in a Browns uniform, but with Cleveland committed to nearly $50 million over the next three years, it’s hard to see the team moving on from him anytime soon.
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Browns Put Deshaun Watson Under Pressure At Worst Possible Time
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