In Week 1, Cleveland Browns left guard Joel Bitonio and the Browns offensive line picked up where they left off in 2020.
Bitonio is a member of arguably the best offensive line in football.
He did his part against the Chiefs to protect Baker Mayfield and create running room for Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
Bitonio’s performance earned him the top PFF grade for offensive linemen in Week 1.
Joel Bitonio
Bitonio, 29, is the longest-tenured Cleveland Brown.
He was the Browns’ second-round draft pick (35th overall) in 2014.
That means Bitonio has been through the highs and lows of Browns football including the 4-44 win/loss record spanning from 2015 to 2017.
Bitonio has come into his own during the Baker Mayfield years.
He was named second-team All-Pro from 2018-2020.
Bitonio was also a Pro Bowler from 2018-2020.
For all of these reasons, Bitonio is a fan favorite.
Last season when he was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list for the wildcard playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, everyone took the news hard because of Bitonio’s years with the team.
Bitonio And The Browns In 2021
One of the keys to the Browns 2021 success is going to be how well Bitonio and the offensive line play.
Make no mistake, they need to be top-notch every week for the Browns to secure 2021 victories.
At this point, they seemed equipped to do so, but there are some concerns with early season injuries that are limiting players in practice.
On Wednesday, left tackle Jedrick Wills, right tackle Jack Conklin, offensive tackle Chris Hubbard, and center JC Tretter did not practice.
Wills is day-to-day with an ankle injury suffered in the Chiefs game so his status is not surprising.
The others are concerning particularly if Wills cannot play on Sunday.
Watch the Browns take on the Houston Texans on Sunday, September 19, 2021 at 1:00 PM EDT at FirstEnergy Stadium.
This will mark the first time the Dawg Pound will be at capacity at the stadium since the 2019 season.
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