The bulk of the Cleveland Browns' starting lineup was on the practice field Thursday as the team began to ramp up its preparation for Sunday's AFC North showdown at Pittsburgh. Defensive end Jared Verse and center Elgton Jenkins both missed Wednesday's session while managing knee injuries but were back on the field Thursday.
The most notable nonparticipant could put the Browns in a bind against the Steelers' tough defensive front this week.
Veteran Tytus Howard, Cleveland's starting right tackle, missed his second straight practice while working through the NFL's concussion protocol. While he hasn't been ruled out, the back-to-back DNPs put Howard on the wrong side of questionable to be medically cleared.
Howard had been playing excellent football over the past several weeks. He hasn't committed a penalty since Week 3. Over Cleveland's last three games, Howard has allowed zero sacks and three total pressures in 87 pass-blocking snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Dawand Jones took over at right tackle after Howard was injured during last weekend's win over the Tennessee Titans. Jones struggled, per PFF, allowing three pressures and three hurries in his 25 offensive snaps in the game.
Back in training camp, head coach Todd Monken and O-line coach George Warhop talked up Jones' conditioning and upside as a veteran leader -until they didn't.
In the blink of an eye , Jones flipped from getting starter's reps at left tackle to landing on the 53-man roster bubble. He made the cut as a reserve tackle, which made sense after he took a multi-million-dollar pay cut earlier in the spring, but he hasn't been replacement-level-starter material when called upon since the start of the regular season. In 60 offensive snaps, Jones has allowed one sack, six pressures, and five hurries while committing a pair of penalties, per PFF.
If Jones is pressed into action on Sunday, the Steelers will have a clear side of the offensive line to attack in Jones and rookie guard Austin Barber.
The Browns did a decent job of protecting Deshaun Watson during their 27-24 win over the Steelers in Week 4. He was only sacked twice for a net loss of 8 yards. T.J. Watt was a problem, though, with a sack, four pressures, two tackles for loss, and two QB hits.
Jones hasn't started a game for Cleveland since Week 3 of the 2025 season, and the new coaching staff seemed to be losing confidence in him at the end of camp.
If Howard can't suit up this week, the Browns entering Sunday's game with a backup tackle will become a major storyline.
This article was originally published on www.dawgpounddaily.com as Tytus Howard injury could expose a Browns roster concession they hoped to avoid .
