It’s too soon to know whether Browns second-round tackle Austin Corbett is going to be the man to replace Joe Thomas.
But if nothing else, he’s been in the situation to replace a big-name left tackle before.
When the 33rd overall pick was beginning his career at Nevada, he was a redshirt during Joel Bitonio’s final year there. Bitonio is now the Browns’ left guard (after joining the Browns in the 2014 second-round). Corbett immediately took over at left tackle.
“Just tried to live up to that standard he set there,” Corbett said, via Dan Labbe of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
The same could be said of his current role, though the standard Thomas set in Cleveland was even higher than the one Bitonio set in Reno.
Corbett lined up at left tackle during rookie minicamp, but he’s not locked into the job. They’ll give Shon Coleman a chance there when the veterans arrive, but Corbett is still expected to have a role somewhere.
“You will see [Corbett] out there [at left tackle],” Browns coach Hue Jackson said. “There is no question he will be out there, but I think you will see him moved around, too. We are going to kind of see where our best five guys are and how they play, but he will get an opportunity out there.”
The Browns have spent a pile of money and picks on interior linemen, so having a cheap rookie who can start balances the books a bit. And if he is able to replace Thomas as well as he replaced Bitonio in college, then he might end up standing next to Bitonio for years to come.