Cleveland needs help at left tackle. Could they take a look at a possibly under appreciated option?
The Cleveland Browns had a rocky go of it at the left tackle position no matter where they turned in 2024.
We present for your consideration:
- Jedrick Wills Jr. played in just five games while struggling with injuries, finishing his abbreviated season with an overall grade of 52.9 from Pro Football Focus.
- Dawand Jones only was able to fill in with 176 snaps at the position before suffering a season-ending injury while posting an overall grade of 46.4 from Pro Football Focus.
- James Hudson logged 207 snaps and posted an overall grade of 50.4 from PFF.
- Germain Ifedi had the most snaps with 524, and checked in with an overall grade of 48.6 from PFF.
Did we say rocky? That may have been too kind.
The Browns are expected to let Wills test free agency and Jones underwent arthroscopic surgery this week, which probably won’t help his offseason conditioning plans. This leaves the Browns in the market for help at the position.
Cleveland will likely select a tackle at some point during the 2025 NFL Draft, but if they want to explore one in free agency their eyes may wander west to Alaric Jackson of the Los Angeles Rams.
Players who could be overpriced/underpriced on the open market (via @kpatra): A still-developing Alaric Jackson could be a bargain in comparison to pricier veteran options https://t.co/jyJDR0qb4S pic.twitter.com/ugAYOq8ruU
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) February 21, 2025
Name: Alaric Jackson
Position: Offensive tackle
Height/Weight: 6-foot-7, 345 pounds
Age: 26
2024 Team: Los Angeles Rams
2024 stats: 14 games, 894 offensive snaps (all at left tackle), 0 holding penalties, 5 total penalties,
Career stats: 41 games, 2,346 offensive snaps, 1 holding penalty, 9 total penalties
Myles Garrett’s helmet gets stuck in Alaric Jackson’s facemask pic.twitter.com/WWB7MlQFPC
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) December 3, 2023
PFF Grade: 78.3 overall, 79.5 pass blocking, 75.9 run blocking
2024 contract: One-year deal after the Rams made him a restricted free agent tender, earning $4.9 million.
Fit with the Browns
Jackson finished his fourth season with a career-high grade of 78.4 from Pro Football Focus, which placed him at No. 18 among all ranked offensive tackles. He allowed pressure on just under 4.5 percent of pass plays, always a comfort for a quarterback, which was also a career-best and put him in the upper quarter of ranked tackles by PFF. Finally, he topped the Rams in pass blocking with a PFF grade of 79.5.
Jackson has been durable — playing in 29 games over the past two seasons — which is a plus with how injuries have hit Cleveland’s offensive line in recent seasons. If the Browns were to sign him they could drop him in at left tackle and then see how the situation plays out on the right side between Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones, once he recovers from his latest surgery.
The game won up front, invest in your trenches fellas
— Alaric Jackson (@Bigaj77) February 10, 2025
Browns player signing could impact
Jedrick Wills Jr. is likely already out the door in free agency, so bringing Jackson to town would set off alarms for one or both of James Hudson III and Hakeem Adeniji.
How the signing could impact the NFL Draft
Even if the Browns make a move in free agency to sign an offensive tackle, they should still draft one to build some better depth to project against the inevitable injuries at the position.
Priority: Upper-medium as the Browns don’t know if Dawand Jones can stay healthy and in shape, or when Jack Conklin could suffer another major injury.
Projected contract (via Over the Cap): $13.4 million per year
What do you think about Alaric Jackson for the Browns? Who are some other offensive tackles the team should be considering in free agency?