Austin Barber didn’t need long to change the Browns’ offensive line picture.
The rookie entered camp trying to carve out a spot, initially buried behind veteran Tytus Howard as the reserve right tackle. But once the preseason hit, Barber started showing the kind of versatility and upside that convinced Cleveland to trade up for him in the third round of April’s draft. By the time the Browns wrapped up their preseason work, his rise may have made a veteran unnecessary.
That veteran is KT Leveston, who, per NFL insider Aaron Wilson, is set to be waived as one of the casualties of Cleveland’s young, rebuilt offensive line. It’s a notable turn after Leveston spent early camp with the first unit at right guard while expected starter Teven Jenkins missed time with an injury.
Barber’s work at right guard in the preseason games against the Bills and the Patriots appears to have tilted the decision. ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi pointed to that shift on social media, writing: “KT Leveston began camp competing with Teven Jenkins to start at RG.
He wasn’t able to unseat Jenkins and was moved to OT in recent weeks,” Oyefusi wrote. “Austin Barber’s work at RG also made Leveston expendable.”
Barber’s best stretch came after a quiet opening to the offseason. He mixed in at tackle in the Browns’ preseason opener at Chicago, then really started to stand out once he moved inside to begin the Bills game. According to Pro Football Focus, he finished as Cleveland’s highest-graded offensive player of the preseason, boosted by an elite 80.5 run-blocking score.
That kind of production gives the Browns a real option on the right side, where Jenkins seems to have the edge for now. Head coach Todd Monken didn’t completely shut the door on Barber, though, leaving open the possibility that the rookie could still steal the job over the next few practices before the team shifts fully into regular-season mode.
“I love our depth there,” Monken said. “I think Teven has the advantage, obviously, as the veteran player, but we still have this week, we still have today and a few practices to really finalize. I’d give Teven the lean, but I don’t think it’s done yet.”
Monken had praised Leveston at different points in camp as well, but Cleveland’s tackle depth is crowded, with Spencer Fano, Howard, and Dawand Jones in the mix. When Monken was asked Saturday whether Leveston had looked better at tackle than guard, his answer was brief: “he does.”
After Sunday’s final roster cuts, the Browns will have two weeks before their Sept. 13 road opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Leveston will now go through waivers and could end up back on Cleveland’s practice squad. Still, the biggest takeaway here is Barber, whose push from quiet newcomer to real factor has quickly altered the Browns’ plans up front.
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