Why Signing Elgton Jenkins Is a Win for Browns After Missing Out on Tyler Linderbaum

The Cleveland Browns officially lost two interior offensive linemen today, as the contracts of center Ethan Pocic and guard Joel Bitonio voided on Tuesday. Another guard, Wyatt Teller, will see his deal officially void in a matter of days, as well. Although the team knew this was a given for some time now, it also meant that the Browns were left to fill a bunch of holes either through free agency, trade market, and/or the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

The Browns took a first step forward agreeing with former Chargers' guard Zion Johnson on a three-year, $49.5 million deal including $32.4 million guaranteed according to the player's agents and agreeing to re-sign guard Teven Jenkins, who was mostly a backup last year to Teller.

But there was still a ton of work ahead, especially after missing out on coveted free agent center Tyler Linderbaum, who left the Ravens to sign a record-breaking three-year deal with the Raiders worth $81 million with $60 million guaranteed, a price way out of Cleveland's range. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Browns were also aggressively pursuing former Jets' guard/tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker before he agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract with the Patriots.

However, Cleveland rebounded pretty nicely after seeing Linderbaum and Vera-Tucker sign elsewhere, agreeing to a two-year deal with two-time Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins, who was cut just yesterday by the Packers.

The biggest name on the open market for the Browns and other teams looking for interior linemen was Jenkins, a jack-of-all trades. He made the most sense for a Cleveland offense that was reportedly intrigued by Vera-Tucker's flexibility.

Jenkins won't come cheap, though. The two-year commitment is reported at up to $24 million. Nonetheless, the potential payoff is absolutely worth it. A former second-round pick for Green Bay in 2019, Jenkins started his career at left guard before taking over left tackle duties. He also played right tackle before eventually settling in at center, where he played in 2025 before a season-ending leg injury cut his campaign short.

How will the Browns look after adding Elgton Jenkins?

As things stand now, the Browns offensive line could have Dawand Jones returning from last season’s injury at left tackle, Johnson at left guard, Elgton Jenkins at center, Teven Jenkins at right guard and Tytus Howard at right tackle. Having Howard settle at right guard could also be an option, leaving tackle to be addressed in the draft. Re-signing Teven Jenkins gives you some flexibility on that right side.

There has also been talk of having Jones move to the right side, either as a guard or tackle alongside Howard, leaving the left tackle position to be filled at a later time. Johnson actually started his career playing right guard, so that could be an option as well, moving Elgton Jenkins to left guard and keeping center as a position to be determined.

In any case, the flexibility that a player like Jenkins affords an offense, is a better likelihood of being able to trot out your five best offensive lineman on the field, by being able to slot him in different places depending on your needs.

What other options are on the table for the Browns?

SI’s Albert Breer has already reported Cleveland among Commanders’ guard Chris Paul suitors, so that’s an option we can’t take our eyes off.

And let's not forget that Cleveland ius losing a bunch of tackles, as well. Jack Conklin and Cam Robinson are free agents and won't be coming back, and Cornelius Lucas was cut, along with backup center Justin Osborne.

Then, there’s the upcoming draft, where Cleveland owns two first-round picks and three selections within the first 40 picks. A ton of names have already been linked to the Browns with these selections -- No. 6, No. 24 and No. 39 overall -- including Francis Mauigoa from Miami, Spencer Fano from Utah, Monroe Freeling from Georgia, Caleb Lomu from Utah, Kadyn Proctor from Alabama, Blake Miller from Clemson, Olaivavega Ioane from Penn State and Max Iheanachor from Arizona State.

It would be logical for the Browns to invest at least one of those three highest picks in the offensive line, if not two, as most likely one of the team’s five starters for next season will be a rookie. Since we don’t know exactly who it will be yet, a versatile lineman like Elgton Jenkins just adds more value to the pick by allowing flexibility.