BEREA, Ohio — Browns left tackle Dawand Jones will have a chance to come back next year and finish what he started this season.
The Browns announced that Jones, slated to be the starting left tackle this season, is expected to make a full recovery for 2026 after undergoing successful surgery on Thursday to repair his right torn lateral collateral ligament and a hamstring avulsion, which means the tendon tore away from the bone.
The injury was suffered during Sunday’s 13-10 victory over the Packers and was repaired by team physician Dr. James Voos of University Hospitals.
It marked the third straight straight season that Jones, their fourth-round pick in 2023 out of Ohio State, finished the season on injured reserve with an injury that required surgery. In 2023 it was a torn medial collateral ligament in his knee, and last year it was a broken fibula.
This year, Jones dropped about 20 pounds of fat and added muscle in an effort to stay healthy.
But Packers safety Javon Bullard dove low at Jones’ legs on the fourth play of Sunday’s game, and Jones fell face first to the ground with the serious injury.
Kevin Stefanski said Friday that the NFL got word back from the NFL win the tape of the play they sent in for review.
“That should have been a penalty, which we all thought it was,” he said.
He noted that players aren’t permitted to go low anymore, so it’s not a big point of emphasis in the meeting rooms.
“Well, it shouldn’t happen, obviously, and I’m not saying that there was intent for that to happen,” he said. “Our guys understand the rules. In the old days, you’d have to defend yourself because guys could go low. I can picture Antoine Winfield, that was kind of his calling card on those plays, so you would be maybe more aware to protect yourself. So yeah, disappointed in the result of that play, of course. But, yeah, it’s unfortunate.”
The Browns hoped Jones could nail down left tackle spot this season, although he got off to a slow start on that unfamiliar side, and was switched to right tackle vs. the Packers in place of All-Pro Jack Conklin (right elbow).
It remains to be seen where Jones, under contract through next season at only $1.145 million, will line up when he gets back next season, but the Browns will likely have to be on the lookout for another left tackle of the future. As it was, Jones, who started three games at left tackle last season and fared well, was attempting to replace 2020 No. 10 overall pick Jedrick Wills Jr., who’s career here was derailed by injuries. Wills had a lingering ankle injury as a rookie and then also tore his medial collateral ligament in 2023. He still has a nagging knee injury that has kept him out of football this season, and it’s uncertain if he’ll make it back to the field.
In the wake of Jones’ injury, the Browns signed fellow former Ohio State tackle Thayer Munford Jr., who played at Massillon Washington High as a senior. A seventh round pick of the Raiders in 2022, Munford spent his first three seasons there and started 10 games in 2023. The Browns plucked him off the Patriots practice squad, where he signed after the Raiders released him in August.
The Browns also have backup tackles Cornelius Lucas, a 12th-year pro, and KT Leveston, a second-year pro, on the roster. One or both of them still start Sunday in Detroit depending on Conklin’s availability. He’s listed as questionable, and it could come down to a gametime decision.
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