Browns moving Bitonio to left tackle, Coleman demoted

Searching for the heir to Joe Thomas, the Cleveland Browns gave the first crack at left tackle to third-year pro Shon Coleman, while veteran left guard Joel Bitonio was deemed by offensive line coach Bob Wylie as a failsafe.But by the sixth day of training camp, head coach Hue Jackson saw enough to bump Coleman to second string and install Bitonio as the starter at left tackle. Bitonio took over for Coleman midway through Wednesday’s practice, with rookie Austin Corbett stepping in as the starter at left guard.Jackson confirmed to reporters after practice that the decision was made based on evaluations from the first week of camp.“When we didn’t have practice, we took some time, looked at the tape and made a decision maybe our best five right now is putting Joel out at left tackle, putting Corbett at left guard and going from there,” Jackson said. “... I think it would be unfair to put out there later on and say, ‘OK, you gotta do it’ without having him practice and get real preseason reps in a game to see if he can do it.”On Sunday, Wylie indicated that the team would try Bitonio — who played left tackle for a season and a half in college at Nevada — on the blindside only if all other options failed.“That’s the last,” he said when asked about the proposition. “Like, if you’re going from A down, that would be Z.”Asked Wednesday about Wylie’s comments, Jackson replied, “I think you (the media) ask the coaches way too many questions, just being honest. I make those decisions. Those are none of our coaches’ decisions. Those are mine. I never said ‘Plan Z.’”Jackson said he spoke with Bitonio during the team’s off-day on Tuesday, saying the fifth-year veteran was reluctant about the change but receptive to help the team win.“I gave him a chance to say how he felt,” Jackson said. “Was he reluctant? Yeah, I would be too. He plays a position and he’s real good at it.“... But I have great confidence in Joel. He’s one of the best players on the football team. He can do it.”Bitonio told reporters he was “a little shocked” by the news, but also willing to do what Jackson thinks is best.“I’m going to try to be the best left tackle I can be,” Bitonio said. “... It’s just whatever’s going to help our team win the most games.”Bitonio, 26, played left tackle during his senior year at Nevada but has started all 47 of his NFL games at left guard since the Browns took him 35th overall in 2014. He played well enough to earn a five-year, $51.2 million extension in March of 2017.Bitonio noted his biggest adjustment will be dealing with extra space and being “on an island” against smaller, faster rushers, but he’s also looking forward to having fewer 340-pound linemen to move.“It’s just a different animal and it’s something I’ve got to learn,” he said, adding that he’s spoken with Thomas about getting some advice. “Playing guard, I knew the kind of nuances of the position ... at tackle, I’m still trying to develop that as we go through camp.”Without watching the tape, Jackson thought Bitonio held up well on the blind side during Wednesday’s practice, despite regularly facing 2017 first overall pick Myles Garrett. Asked about the battles against Garrett, Bitonio said with a sarcastic smile, “Yeah, that’s always fun.”“He’s a great test,” Bitonio continued. “I’ve said it about our tackles before: If you can block that guy, you’re going to be able to block a lot of guys on Sunday. For me, I’m ready to battle him and try to help me improve the most I can at tackle.”