Browns’ Tytus Howard in Line for Big First Season As Lynchpin of Offensive Line

Everything Cleveland did on its rebuilt offensive line came under the belief that the right tackle spot is set.

Tytus Howard during a drill at the Browns mini camp in Berea on April 21, 2026. | Lisa Scalfaro / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the Cleveland Browns march on towards the regular season, the significance of how their rebuilt offensive line came together cannot be understated.

Among all the new faces that are expected to earn starting roles for the Browns in 2026, one stands out as the foundation upon which everything else was built.

Tytus Howard became the very first offensive lineman acquired by the team in the Todd Monken era back in early March, through a trade with the Texans. In other words, the team zeroed in on Howard way before being able to even contact any free agents during the legal tampering period, making the former first-rounder the first building block for Cleveland’s 2026 O-Line.

That’s significant because Howard’s deal came almost one full week before the Browns knew with any certainty they would be adding free agent linemen Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins, or re-signing guard Teven Jenkins. And that’s not even mentioning that it was impossible at the time to guarantee Spencer Fano as the team’s top pick in the draft almost two months later, or that Joel Bitonio would ultimately retire.

Most of what Cleveland did on the offensive line, they did under the belief that the right tackle question had already been answered.

So it’s no wonder that, even as coach Monken stated he has “a pretty good idea of four of the five” starters on the O-Line for the Browns, Howard looks like the surest thing out of all of them, followed by Johnson.

Why? Well, let’s take a look. During the recently wrapped up three-day minicamp, Cleveland’s most utilized combination was made up of Howard at right tackle, Teven Jenkins at right guard, Elgton Jenkins at center, Johnson at left guard and Fano at left tackle. Howard, Elgton Jenkins, Johnson and Fano are, by all accounts, the four out of five that Monken mentioned. 

But, there’s still a question regarding where to play Elgton Jenkins. He should be a better option at guard than Teven Jenkins, and he might even be a better option at left guard in particular than Johnson, but the Browns could find themselves forced to keep him at center if Luke Wypler or rookie Parker Brailsford can’t step up. 

Then there’s the uncertainty with Fano, who is being counted on at left tackle after playing right tackle during his last two seasons at Utah, following his move out of the left side to accommodate fellow first-rounder Caleb Lomu. And that’s not even mentioning the league observers, Mel Kiper Jr. among them, that had Fano listed as a guard at the next level.

As Monken explained, “You’re counting on Spencer to play at a high level of why we drafted him that early, but you still haven’t put the pads on yet.”

And if you still don’t believe that Howard is the lynchpin that should hold the rest of the offensive line together, all you have to do is follow the money. After arriving in Cleveland, the team agreed to a contract extension with the 30-year old that currently ranks him as the second-highest paid player on the Browns’ roster on a yearly average, at $22.5 million, placing him behind only Deshaun Watson, but way above what Johnson ($16.5 million yearly average) and Elgton Jenkins ($12 million) got. 

Is there any scenario where Howard doesn’t start at right tackle?

There are three main scenarios, all of them unlikely:

• One would have Fano struggling on the left side, and the team switching up their tackles. However, Dawand Jones getting the first shot at subbing in for the rookie should be more viable.

• A second one would see Howard taking over one of the guard spots due to injury. Remember, he started five games at left guard and two at right guard last year for the Texans, along with nine starts at right tackle. Nonetheless, the Browns seem to have better depth at guard -- where even KT Leveston should be an interesting option after struggling mightily last year at tackle -- than behind Howard on the right side.

• Finally, Howard would need to be outplayed by either Fano, Jones or even Leveston, to be benched, which would immediately turn into a major disappointment for the franchise. I wouldn’t bet on it.

When the Browns reconvene at training camp in late July, the team will still be looking for answers at most of their offensive line positions. 

Right tackle shouldn’t be one of them.