Browns' OC Alex Van Pelt Raves About Recent Offensive Line Performance

Lost in the craziness of the Browns' victory over the 49ers was the play of the offensive line. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt was sure to give them their due on Thursday.

Fans might not always appreciate good offensive line play on a regular basis, but you can be sure that it doesn’t go unnoticed inside the locker room.

While it’s natural to notice if your quarterback or one of your star skill-position players is missing on any given Sunday, the Browns were missing two critical starters on the offensive line. Right tackle Jack Conklin suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1 putting the Browns at a disadvantage right out of the gate. His running mate, Joel Bitonio was ruled out of the 49ers game, which ultimately ended a seven year stretch without missing a snap. The Browns were outmanned against one of the best defensive lines in all of football. 

The short-handed group responded with a herculean effort on Sunday. The group of Jedrick Wills, Wyatt Teller, Ethan Pocic, Michael Dunn, and Dawand Jones had one of their best games together. Behind this unit, the Browns rushed for 160 yards against a 49ers team that was giving up only 80.2 yards per game. 

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt made sure his guys up front get the credit the deserved during his media availability on Thursday afternoon:

“I mean, hats off. They earned the game ball last week across the board. Thought they played extremely well. I thought Jed (Jedrick Wills Jr.) may have had one of his best games as a Brown, as a pass protector and then Dawand (Jones), you know he lit up and came on... and then that internal guy, again, Mike Dunn. Poe (Ethan Pocic) played one of his best games. Wyatt (Teller) played really strong. So, they definitely carried us offensively, that front.”

Strong words of approval coming from the leader of the offensive side of the football. The Browns head into a week where there is still a question mark at quarterback, so expect Cleveland to lean on that offensive line again to lead them to a victory.