Football can change in the blink of an eye. One moment, a game is just getting started; the next, a key player is down, and the team is scrambling to adjust. Sunday brought exactly that kind of chaos for the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns faced a tough setback during their Week 3 game against the Green Bay Packers, when left tackle Dawand Jones had to leave early due to an injury.

It happened on the very first drive when Jones took a low hit while blocking, and a Packers defender collided with his leg, leaving him down on the field. Trainers rushed to his side, and he was helped off to the medical tent, with his return later marked as questionable.

Jones, who transitioned from right tackle to left tackle this season, has struggled with injuries throughout his young career. In his rookie season in 2023, he suffered an MCL injury that sidelined him for the final five games.

The following year, a fractured left fibula against the New Orleans Saints ended his 2024 season prematurely. Before the start of the 2025 season, he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery as a preventive measure.

As Dawand Jones made his way to the medical tent, the Browns had to quickly adjust their offensive line, moving James Hudson to left tackle and bringing in Geron Christian at right tackle.

Veteran Cornelius Lucas, who had already stepped in at right tackle for the injured Jack Conklin, also played a role in the reshuffle. With Conklin already out due to an elbow injury, the depth of Cleveland’s offensive line was really being tested, raising immediate concerns about how well they could protect quarterback Joe Flacco.

Browns’ Dawand Jones faces growing pains on the left side

The Cleveland Browns’ offensive line has struggled through the first two games of the 2025 season. The return to the outside zone plan hasn’t helped. Run blocking falters. Pass protection wavers. And at the center of it all is left tackle Dawand Jones. Once a promising right tackle, he’s faced a rough transition to the blind side.

Drafted 44th overall in 2023 and ranked the sixth-best tackle in his class, Jones fell to the fourth round due to attitude concerns. The Browns quickly snapped him up, and he earned the starting right tackle job as a rookie, ranking 18th among qualifying tackles in PFF’s true pass set grades. Expectations were high for year two.

But the results haven’t matched the hype. In 2024, he moved to left tackle midseason, lasting just three games before a season-ending ankle injury. Weight issues also emerged, as he trimmed down from over 400 pounds to roughly 375.

This year, even with veteran Cornelius Lucas available, Jones opened at left tackle in Week 1. But two games in, the struggles are evident. He left the Baltimore game twice. Was it the heat, an injury, a coaching call, or simply poor play? The answers remain unclear.

Once a promising rookie on the right, he now carries blindside responsibility with heavy expectations. The Browns need stability, and the question is simp. Can Jones adjust and protect, or will the struggles keep piling up?