The Cleveland Browns shocked the NFL in Week 3 by picking up a 13-10 upset victory over the Green Bay Packers. Considering how dominant the Packers were in the first two weeks of the season, the Browns were given virtually no shot to win this game, but they ended up pulling off a miraculous fourth-quarter rally to earn their first win of the year.
However, not everything went well for Cleveland in Week 3, as they lost starting left tackle Dawand Jones for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. With Jones headed to injured reserve, the Browns need more depth along their offensive line, which led to them scooping up former Las Vegas Raiders starting tackle Thayer Munford Jr.
Browns Steal Thayer Munford Jr. from Patriots Practice Squad
In his third year in the league, Jones earned the Browns’ starting left tackle job out of training camp, and he generally held up well in the first three games of the season. Now that he’s out for the year, though, the team needs to bring in some extra help, which led them to Munford, who was on the New England Patriots practice squad to begin the year.
A former seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Munford spent the first three seasons of his career with the Raiders, appearing in 46 games for them, 18 of which were starts. With Las Vegas reconstructing its offensive line over the offseason, though, Munford ended up not being a part of the team’s future plans.
The Patriots scooped up Munford and stuck him on their practice squad as some depth at their offensive line, but the Browns needed help on their active roster immediately. That led to them signing him off of New England’s practice squad, and he figures to have an immediate role with the team in the wake of Jones’ season-ending injury.
“The Cleveland Browns have signed T Thayer Munford Jr. to the active roster from New England’s practice squad. The team also placed T Dawand Jones (knee) on injured reserve,” the Browns announced on their official website.
Will Thayer Munford Jr. Start at Left Tackle for the Browns?
GettyThe Browns have signed Thayer Munford Jr. after placing Dawand Jones on injured reserve
With Jones out, veteran tackle Cornelius Lucas seems likely to slide over to left tackle after filling in for Jack Conklin at right tackle to begin the season. The problem is that Conklin hasn’t played since Week 1 due to an elbow injury, so if he can’t go in Week 4, that would force either Munford or seventh-round rookie KT Leveston into action.
Cleveland is going to need all of the help it can get because it draws a difficult matchup with the Detroit Lions in Week 4. However, as the Browns proved last week, they can go toe-to-toe with some of the best teams in the league, making them a sneaky underdog pick this weekend. With kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, it wouldn’t necessarily be a surprise to see Munford thrust into action for his new team just days after joining them.
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