BEREA ― Elgton Jenkins has been there and done that over his previous seven seasons in the NFL.
The Browns center has played in Pro Bowls and playoff games. He’s experienced exhilarating highs and disappointing lows, both team-wise and individually.
All of that experience comes in handy for a player who’s moving to a new team for the first time in his pro career. After a seven-year run with the Green Bay Packers, Jenkins signed as a free agent with Cleveland in March.
Subscribe to Browns Insider newsletter
Jenkins was part of the Browns‘ offseason overhaul of their offensive line. Gone are familiar faces like Joel Bitonio (retired), Wyatt Teller (signed with Houston Texans), Ethan Pocic (signed with Baltimore Ravens) and Jack Conklin (free agent).
Those faces have been replaced by what will possibly be five new starters when Cleveland opens the season Sept. 13 at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Those five will include a trade acquisition (right tackle Tytus Howard), two free-agent signees (Jenkins and left guard Zion Johnson) and at least one rookie draft pick (left tackle Spencer Fano).
“Yeah, we got a lot of older guys on the line,” Jenkins told the Beacon Journal this week. “Me, Tytus, Zion, that have played a lot of football. Then the rookie (Fano) being as smart as he is, I feel like we jailed very well, built a lot of camaraderie over these past, what, four, five weeks or whatever. So I think we in a good spot going forward.”
The only potential question mark on the line remaining is at right guard. Teven Jenkins, who started four of the final five games of the 2025 at right guard, will start if he’s able to, but a back injury forced him out of practice Sept. 9 and could leave third-round rookie Austin Barber starting in his place.
That one question aside, the Browns’ new-look line has spent the last several weeks getting virtually all of the snaps together. There were a day or two where Barber might have been working at right guard, but for the most part, that’s been the established first five up front since the week of the preseason opener some four-and-a-half weeks ago.
Jenkins believes there’s one massive challenge in putting together what is essentially, regardless of who the right guard ends up being, a brand-new offensive line. It’s a challenge he believes has been aided by the time on task in recent week.
“Just building that camaraderie,” Jenkins said. “Everybody on the same page thinking a lot and really just getting a job done, honestly.”
There’s a world where it would have been a different Jenkins projected to start at right guard, the one that’s currently set to start at center. The 30-year-old’s two Pro Bowl appearances and nearly 5,000 of the offensive snaps in his career have been spent played guard.
It’s not that center is a new position for him. He’s played 906 career snaps at the position, including 537 of the 538 snaps he played over nine games in 2025 before an ankle injury ended his season.
“I think just playing inside it’s kind of the same,” Jenkins said. “Honestly, at center, you don’t get as many one-on-one. But mentally, it’s just making sure that all five is on the same page, blocking the right guy.”
The Browns, after losing Pocic in free agency and with fourth-year pro Luke Wypler having suffering a knee injury in the season finale in Cincinnati, selected Parker Brailsford out of the University of Alabama in the fifth round of April’s draft. While Brailsford is undersized comparative to most centers at 6-foot-2, 290 pounds, there was a strong belief that the rookie could’ve found his way into the lineup considering the amount of reps he received with the No. 1 group between the offseason program and very early in training camp.
Brailsford, though, sustained a thumb injury on his right hand, which sidelined him for basically three full week. While he’s returned to practice, the time out allowed for the veteran Jenkins to solidify his spot at center.
“Yeah, he’s a pro honestly as a rookie,” Jenkins said of Brailsford. “He always engaged in the game plan and what we got to do at practice, even though he wasn’t practicing for a while. And you can tell that he was still locked in from him just transitioning coming back to practice now.”
A big part of that has been the veteran mentorship Jenkins has provided the 22-year-old rookie. The center isn’t the oldest player on the Browns’ roster ― 34-year-old fullback Michael Burton holds that honor ― but he’s one of the two most-experienced offensive linemen, along with fellow eighth-year pro Howard.
Brailsford’s face lit up when asked by the Beacon Journal about Jenkins, who he said, “That’s my vet right there.” He also pointed to a piece of advice he received from him that resonated the most, one that could also be words Jenkins himself has lived by throughout his career.
“Really just because you never really know when your time is that you’re going to have to go in, just always be ready,” Brailsford told the Beacon Journal. “That’s something he emphasizes is always being ready. Just being ready to go whenever your name’s called.”
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Veteran Elgton Jenkins at center of Browns’ offensive line overhaul
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.
About the Author
