Throughout his 12-year career with the Browns, G Joel Bitonio has played with a variety of quarterbacks.
When QB Dillon Gabriel starts against the Vikings in Week 5 in London, it will be the first time that Bitonio has blocked for a left-handed quarterback. Bitonio and the four other linemen in front of Gabriel will be in charge of keeping his pocket clean for his first NFL start, one against a defense led by Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
"We want to try and stay stable in the middle, especially for Dillon (Gabriel) so he can step up and make those plays," Bitonio said. "Ethan Pocic kind of runs the ship and me and Wyatt Teller try and help where we can, but it's a good group in the middle and we're just trying to be the best we can so everybody else around us can be successful."
The offensive line has dealt with injuries going back to Week 2 against the Ravens. An elbow injury has kept T Jack Conklin out of the last three games. Then, on the fourth play against Green Bay in Week 3, T Dawand Jones suffered a Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL) tear and hamstring avulsion, ending his 2025 season. Following placing Jones on injured reserve, the Browns signed T Thayer Munford Jr. from the Patriots practice squad. Munford hasn't appeared in a game for the Browns but has starting experience, starting 18 of his 46 games in the NFL.
In Week 4 versus the Lions, tackles Cornelius Lucas and KT Leveston started in place of Jones and Conklin. The week after the game, the Browns added more depth and traded for T Cam Robinson from the Texans.
Robinson has played in 104 games, starting 102 through his nine-year NFL career, adding more experience to an already veteran Browns position room. While Robinson is learning the Browns' offense, Bitonio said he isn't worried about how he will handle the change.
"There's an adjustment just in like how he does technique. Most of the plays are similar across the league, maybe a little bit different terminology or different codewords for things but Cam (Robinson) has been in a lot of offenses, and he has a lot of experience," Bitonio said. "I think him coming in and having me and Wyatt (Teller) there to be able to communicate, even if he doesn't quite understand the terminology, we can be like, 'Hey, we're doing this,' and he can get a feel for it."
Robinson played for the Vikings for part of the 2024 season, starting 10 games and going against Flores' defense. If Robinson suits up for the game against Minnesota, he will get another chance to go against the defense that he saw every day in practice last season.
Minnesota's defense through four weeks has been able to limit the quarterback's impact, allowing 151.5 passing yards per game, the third-best total in the NFL. They have also utilized pressure and sacked opposing quarterbacks 11 times, tied for the fifth-most in the league. Flores' defensive schemes are going to test the Browns' offense, according to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
"Flores does a great job, as everybody knows," Rees said. "Presents a lot of challenges. He's very diverse in his scheme, likes to pressure, likes to create havoc, likes to turn the ball over. That's kind of how he has made his hay here, but he does that versus everyone. So, we just have to focus on our game plan, focus on the tools that we're giving the quarterback to handle some of those things and allow him to go out there and play fast."
While Minnesota has shut down the passing game, its defense has allowed more than 130 rushing yards per game, the ninth-most in the NFL. If the offensive line executes in the trenches, RB Quinshon Judkins can build on his season. Through three games, Judkins has run for 237 yards and is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game. His explosive play potential during those games has been limited, running for more than 10 yards five times.
Teller said on Sept. 29 that the Browns have been an inch away from explosive plays at times. Against the Packers, the offense connected those explosive plays with Judkins breaking off two runs for a combined 52 yards to spark the Browns comeback.
"So, as long as we can – not get moral victories I mean, obviously, we want to win the game – but ways of handling whatever the (defensive) front is doing or stuff like that," Teller said. "I trust our coaches and I trust the guys we have in the room to get it done."
While Teller trusts the room, the injuries within the offensive line could test the Browns chemistry up front, especially against the Vikings' defense. Cleveland has the chance to expose the pressure that Minnesota's defense brings and break out offensively to get their second win of the season.
"The goal is to try and find a way to win, and that's what really what we've been focused on," Bitonio said. "We had a good day of walk-through practice and getting the body moving and tomorrow we can move into like our normal Friday, but really just our focus has been on Minnesota and finding a way to win the game."
