Steinbach done; Browns OL in flux

BEREA -- The season opener is 11 days away and the Cleveland Browns are scrambling on the offensive line. Which is not the ideal way to head into the week leading into the regular season. Tuesday, coach Pat Shurmur said guard Eric Steinbach would miss the entire season after having surgery to repair a disk problem in his lower back. He was a starter here, Shurmur said. Were going to have to make some decisions to see who is going to play left guard. Well be going through that process. Tackle Joe Thomas has lined up next to Steinbach since he was a rookie, so it was no surprise Thomas was distraught at hearing of the surgery. (Steinbachs) been incredibly durable and hes been a huge asset to our offense, Thomas said. It is a big blow not having him out there. And he spoke before news that Steinbach would go on IR was relayed to the media. Monday, the Browns also claimed tackleguard Oniel Cousins from Baltimore on waivers. Shurmur said the addition of Cousins was not related to Steinbachs situation. In practice, Cousins was playing right tackle while Tony Pashos watched. Pashos did not have his best game in Philadelphia last week, and Shurmur shrugged off his not practicing. Rookie Jason Pinkston was with the first team in Steinbachs spot. Pinkston is a fifth-round pick who played tackle in college. Deep breath, anyone? Steinbach is not a mauler or a physical guard by any means, but his ability to pull and move allowed the offense to run certain plays. Too, Steinbach has not missed a game the past two years, and has started 62 games since signing as a free agent with the Brown in 2007. He is undersized by modern standards -- Eric Mangini had him gain weight to 295 pounds -- but Steinbach played on. In typical Iowa-lineman fashion, Steinbach just went out and fought and played. Hes a guy that relied on great athleticism and superior technique, Thomas said. Thats the only way you can get it done as a smaller guard in the NFL. The old thinking is that guards are replaceable parts because they are surrounded. Pinkstons support on either side includes Thomas and Alex Mack. But minimizing Steinbachs contributions is not fair. His loss could be significant. Pinkston gets first chance. He started the third preseason game after veteran backup John Greco started the second. Pinkston played tackled at Pitt, but the Browns drafted him with the intention of moving him to guard. I wouldnt presume anything now, Shurmur said of Pinkston starting the opener against Cincinnati, but if we were playing a game tomorrow thats what wed probably do. That being said, the challenge of a rookie moving into the starting lineup on the fly isnt easy. Its really difficult, Thomas said. Especially when you didnt have any OTAs. You didnt have any minicamp. You didnt come in as a starter in training camp. So you only have about half the No. 1 reps because the injury happened about midway in training camp. Its definitely an uphill battle, especially for a rookie. It would be an uphill battle for anybody who didnt get all the reps in a new offense with a new coach and everything like that. It happens, though, and Thomas himself started every game as a rookie -- although he was the drafts third overall pick. And, as Thomas said, the team has to have a next guy in mentality. Cousins, meanwhile, was released by the Ravens after they had drafted him in the third round in 2008. He was slated to start at tackle for Baltimore when training camp began, then moved to guard. He eventually lost his job after the Ravens signed Bryant McKinnie. McKinnie was released by the Vikings in early August after reporting to camp at 400 pounds, 50 above his weight a year ago. Baltimore signed him anyway -- he weighs 370 now -- and immediately made him a starting tackle and released Cousins. Shurmur had Pashos sit out practice Tuesday and had Cousins at right tackle. Pashos is a big, strong tackle, but he struggled in Philadelphia against a faster pass rush. Thats a concern for the Browns as long as hes on the outside. Shurmur shrugged off Pashos sitting out, but it seems logical that the Browns want to find out about Cousins as soon as they can. Shurmur said Cousins will play Thursday night in Chicago, and he said claiming Cousins was unrelated to Steinbachs injury. He added that the team could be very busy after seeing the list of players released over the weekend. Theres a lot of things that get done in the next 48-to-72 hours, Shurmur said. Which means a guard or tackle or both could be added. Preseason is for learning about a team and finding out who can play. Position changes happen. But the fact that they are happening this late in Browns camp is a concern. At this point of preseason, its hardly ideal a team would have question marks at one and maybe two of the offensive line spots.