As the Cleveland Browns get ready to try and cut a two-game losing streak that would throw them back in the thick of the race for the playoffs, the offensive line’s play will be heavily scrutinized over the second half of the season. 

No position group received more attention on the open market during the offseason than the O-Line, and after the first nine games, it’s safe to say the experiment isn’t working. 

The Browns' offensive line ranks among the bottom-dwellers in the league when it comes to yards before first contact in the run game, and things look even worse in the passing game. Cleveland’s two starting tackles, Tytus Howard and rookie Spencer Fano, have the two highest pressure rates allowed in the entire NFL, and as a whole, Cleveland is the team that has allowed the most sacks (38) for the year, too.

To top things off, Howard leads the league with seven false start penalties, while guards Zion Johnson and rookie Austin Barber are among the six players tied for second place in holding penalties, with four apiece.

But if you were expecting to see some personnel changes for the second half of the season, don’t hold your breath. 

Monken told reporters on Wednesday that his offensive line is set, and he isn’t planning on making any changes along the unit. 

“I don’t see it that way. I mean, our starters are the starters. We addressed it again today: who the biggest culprits are. And they’re our guys. And they’re like, like we said before, I mean, they’re like our kids. We’re not going to just change out our kids. I mean, we’re not going to change out our players. They’re our best players. We got to get our best players. And we have a very diligent team. We have a lot of guys that love playing football, but the stats are what they are. I mean, we’ve got to look in the mirror and say, ‘at some point, this is it.’ I mean, that we just can’t continue down this road.”

When pressed about not reaching the point where changes are needed, Monken doubled down on his stance. 

“I haven’t reached that point. We can’t change out our starters. I mean, I’m not changing out our starters. I mean, they’re either going to, they’re either going to buy into those types of things and the mental stamina that it takes to hold their water on defense or for us to have discipline offensively. But we’re not going to be the team we can be, because there are starters for a reason, right? If the other guys we thought gave us a better chance to win, they’d be in there.

"So, it’s all of us. How do we coach it better? How do we get our guys to dial in in the most critical moments, when it matters most?”

What should we expect from the Browns offensive line going forward?

More sacks allowed. 

The Browns understandably didn’t want to pour more resources into this unit before the trade deadline after an offseason deal for Howard, adding Johnson and Elgton Jenkins in free agency, and then spending two draft picks, including a one inside the Top-10 on the group, but staying this course will lead nowhere... fast.

But zero roster changes doesn’t necessarily mean no changes at all. At some point in the preseason, Teven Jenkins was projected as the team’s starting right tackle before a back injury opened the door for Barber, who hasn’t looked back since. And there were some doubts about Fano too, with Monken acknowledging at one time that Dawand Jones could open the season at left tackle. 

If that’s the case, then it’s not like the five current starters have always been head and shoulders above the rest. 

And who’s to say Fano wouldn’t actually play better at right tackle than Howard? And Barber better than Fano on the left side? Both are coming off playing those positions in college for Utah and Florida, respectively. Those moves could open the right guard spot for Jenkins, as it seemed was intended.

Finally, Monken admitted during the offseason that he’d prefer to see Elgton Jenkins at guard instead of center, so there’s another possible piece that could be moved in search of a better fit overall. 

Because at the end of the day, you do want your five best players on the field, but you also want them playing in their best possible spots, and sometimes leaving out one of the top five players for a better fit in one specific position maximizes the talent of the unit. 

Alas, with Monken steadfast in keeping his “kids” where they are, and reinserting Deshaun Watson and his elongated dropbacks at quarterback --not that Shedeur Sanders fared much better in avoiding sacks against the Saints-- the inevitable result for Cleveland is written on the wall.