Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio is getting ready for his 11th season in the NFL, and while he knows he is in the later stages of his career, he is not declaring the 2024 season his last as of yet.

“I feel like I've definitely played more seasons than I have left,” Joel Bitonio said, according to Spencer German of Browns Digest. “But really, I'm truly taking it, one year, one game at a time, you never know. You know, Joe (Thomas) played 11 years. I'm going to be at 11 years now. So, it's a blessing every time I get to keep playing football. It's gonna dictate a lot of how my body feels and stuff and how we are as a team as well. But right now I feel good and I'm ready for this year and I'm, you know, hopefully like you said, I can bounce back physically and have a great year.”

Bitonio has been a staple of the Browns' offensive line in his first 10 seasons, and he will be in his 11th. He will be a key protector for Deshaun Watson in 2024 as he hopes to rebound from two disappointing seasons.

Joel Bitonio hoping to stay healthy in 2024

Bitonio dealt with a knee injury that caused him to miss a game, and hindered his on-field play for the rest of the season with the Browns. He also suffered back and ankle injuries later on in the year. That is not the norm for Bitonio, and he hopes to bounce back to have a healthy year. As of right now, Bitonio said he is feeling good in the offseason.

“I feel really good right now,” Bitonio said, according to German. “You don't play football for a few months plus you get some treatments and some stuff taken care of, and the body starts to feel a lot better. So, right new I'm at a good space, physically and I'm upping my running and conditioning and been lifting and stuff. So, I feel good right now, you know, and we got to a little bit of time before the season starts. So hopefully it just keeps improving.”

As far as staying healthy at 32 years old, Bitonio acknowledges that he has to do things differently from what he did early in his career.

“As a rookie, I thought if I took like two days off, I was like behind for the season,” Bitonio said, according to German. “Now there's a fine line between wearing myself out before the season starts and making sure I'm in shape to play, though. … It's tough because I actually enjoy like practicing and being out there and trying to work on my craft and I think that was part of it last year was, I couldn't with the way my body was reacting. But it's still working out, still getting the reps you can, but also taking the days when you need it to make sure you're, you're ready for Sunday. It's a fine line, but I think we're working through it and I think we have a pretty good plan.”

Bitonio might not be practicing every day or as hard as younger players on the roster, but he is a veteran and knows how to be ready for games. It seems like he has a plan to be ready for games while not wearing himself out physically. Deshaun Watson hopes that plan works and he will have Bitonio protecting him this season.