Pro Football Focus, known as PFF, is one of the best football outlets in the world, and since it’s the offseason, there are a lot of predictions coming in from the outlet; an article from Bradley Locker came out on Friday morning titled Bounce-back candidates for all 32 NFL teams in 2024.
PFF Has The Cleveland Browns With An Interesting Candidate
Last season, the Cleveland Browns opened their season at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, winning 24-3. However, the biggest takeaway from the game was that the Browns lost starting right tackle Jack Conklin to a season-ending knee Injury.
The Browns were relying on Conklin to help hold down the right side of the offensive line last season. Still, they would have to turn to their rookie tackle Dawand Jones out of Ohio State to replace the former Michigan State Spartan, and the former Buckeye did a great job holding down the spot until he would leave late in the season with a season-ending knee injury.
PFF Names Conklin As The 2024 Bounce-Back Player
PFF names Jack Conklin as the Cleveland Browns 2024 bounce-back player, and here is what the outlet wrote about the right tackle.
“The Browns reached the AFC wild-card game despite one of their better offensive players leaving the season opener with a knee injury and never returning. In Conklin’s stead, Cleveland rotated between Dawand Jones and James Hudson III, with neither matching the pedigree of the starter.
Admittedly, Conklin wasn’t amazing in 2022, but he was arguably the NFL’s best right tackle from 2019 to 2021 when he allowed just nine sacks on 2,549 snaps — a ridiculous .35% sack rate. If the 29-year-old can stay healthy and look more like his prior form, the Browns’ offense could find an even better rhythm, a scary proposition for defenses.”
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There is a really good chance Conklin could come back and be Brown’s 2024 bounce-back player, but there is also a chance he doesn’t even open the season up as a starter.
When Jones came in for Conklin last year, he played awesome at the right tackle spot, and of course, he is also coming off a knee injury that happened a few months later than Conklin’s, so he will need more time to rehab. Still, if both are healthy to start the season, there is a chance Jones gets the job, and Conklin is sitting right behind him.
PFF could have also named players like running back Nick Chubb or quarterback Deshaun Watson as their bounce-back player, which is more likely to happen.
