The Cleveland Browns knew they had to address their shoddy offensive line in free agency. They did so by signing one of the best offensive tackles on the market in Jack Conklin.
New Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan is thrilled about the addition of Conklin:
“I really like Jack,” said Callahan, according to Nate Ulrich of The Akron Beacon Journal. “I watched him coming out of Michigan State. I thought he was outstanding there, and what he has done at Tennessee, early in his career, I know he had some misfortune with injury, but last year, he really came on. He had a really good year.”
Conklin was originally selected by the Titans with the eighth overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
He had a superb rookie campaign, earning a First-Team All-Pro selection right off the bat. However, after another strong season in 2017, Conklin tore his ACL in Tennessee's Divisional Round playoff loss to the New England Patriots, limiting him to just nine games in 2018.
The 25-year-old bounced back with a full 16-game campaign this past year, and he was rewarded with a three-year, $42 million contract from Cleveland as a result.
“You talk about a system fit — you couldn’t get a more perfect tackle in free agency than Jack,” added Callahan. “He fits the mode for the wide zone game and his pass protection sets, how he short sets and he jumps at the line of scrimmage, which is a tough skill to acquire. Then, of course, in third down and later downs, you can watch him set vertically, and you can see his variance of sets.”
Perhaps the acquisition of Conklin will result in some better quarterback play from Baker Mayfield in 2020.
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