When the Browns were forced to reach for their emergency option at center in Week 4, Luke Wypler gave them exactly the kind of answer they were hoping for.
Starting center Elgton Jenkins was ruled out with a concussion, and Cleveland had to plug Wypler into the lineup for a divisional matchup with Pittsburgh. It was his first time anchoring the middle, but he handled the job cleanly. Pro Football Focus credited him with no sacks allowed and just two pressures surrendered.
The grade told the same story. Wypler finished with PFF’s second-highest mark among Browns offensive players at 79.9, trailing only Austin Barber. His 86.7 run-blocking grade stood out even more.
That performance mattered because the Browns had plenty of alternatives to consider at center this offseason, and they still chose to stay with Wypler. Ethan Pocic left in free agency after last season’s Achilles injury.
Justin Osborne was waived early in the offseason. Rookie Kinsley Eguakun got a look during training camp, but he did not survive final roster cuts.
Keeping Wypler was not a no-risk decision. He had dealt with a major knee injury, and last season he was something of a mixed bag, though it was difficult to pin all of the offensive line’s issues on him alone.
Still, when his number was called, he delivered. He did pick up a couple of penalties, but that is hardly unusual for a player working with a brand-new offensive line in a real game for the first time.
The Browns also had another possible path. Rookie center Parker Brailsford was healthy, and even though he missed most of training camp with injuries, Cleveland could have used him as a test run to see what it had in their fifth-round pick. Instead, head coach Todd Monken and offensive line coach George Warhop chose the safer route and leaned on the veteran Wypler.
The sample is still small, and center is not a premium position, but Wypler showed he can still matter for this roster. Injuries always open doors, and with his rookie contract set to expire after this season, the Browns may eventually find out whether that value extends beyond the field and into a possible trade return.
In Other News...
Browns Return To MetLife With One Painful Problem To Settle
MetLife Stadium is bringing the Browns back to a place they would just as soon forget. In the last meeting with the Jets there, Clevelands special teams let two kickoff returns go all the way to the end zone, a breakdown that hung over the game and became an ugly reminder of how quickly field position can unravel.
Byron Storer has been working on that area since taking over as special teams coordinator, and the timing is awkward in the best possible way: the Browns head back into a building where the Jets have long leaned on their return game to tilt momentum. Clevelands surprising season has featured special teams as a genuine factor, which only raises the stakes for a unit trying to show that the old MetLife problems are finally behind it. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Just Got Linked To A Massive QB Swing
The Browns quarterback situation is once again part of the conversation as a speculative trade framework has them exploring a possible path to Jalen Hurts from Philadelphia. The idea rests on Clevelands ability to offer future draft picks, along with the kind of roster flexibility that could let the team chase a veteran answer under center rather than keep leaning only on the draft and internal options.
Philadelphias recent roster changes have only added fuel to the discussion, and Hurts has naturally become the centerpiece of the kind of proposal that would reshape both teams. For Cleveland, it is the sort of massive swing that gets attention because it fits the urgency of finding stability at quarterback, even if the whole thing remains more an ongoing evaluation than a confirmed transaction. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Could Catch The Jets In A Spot Fans Didn't Expect
The Browns trip to face the Jets has a little more intrigue than a standard nonconference matchup, largely because the other sideline is still trying to sort out what kind of team it really is. In a recent Q&A with MacGregor Wells of Gang Green Nation, the conversation touched on Geno Smiths performance, the Jets defensive strengths and weaknesses, and even the potential impact of rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq, all of which helps frame a game that feels more balanced than the betting line suggests.
One of the names Wells singled out was safety Dane Belton, a reminder that the Jets still have defensive pieces capable of making life difficult if Cleveland is sloppy. Still, the broader takeaway from the exchange was the confidence Wells showed in the Browns, even with New York listed as the favorite. For Cleveland, that makes this one of those spots where an opponents reputation and the actual matchup do not quite line up, and it is exactly the kind of game the Browns would love to turn into a statement win. [Read more 🡒]