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‘I like our O-line.’ Freddie Kitchens confident Cleveland Browns’ blockers will continue improving

Although the Cleveland Browns did not make a deal before Tuesday's trade deadline, coach Freddie Kitchens is confident the offensive line will continue improving.

BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns reportedly had interest in striking a deal with the Washington football team to bolster the offensive line and acquire seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams, but the asking price proved to be too high, as an agreement was not be reached ahead of Tuesday’s NFL Trade Deadline.

Not only did the Browns fail to land Williams, they did not make any deals on the final day of trades in the National Football League for the 2019 season, but coach Freddie Kitchens is not going to worry about anything but getting better with the guys on the roster.

“I like our O-line,” Kitchens said prior to Monday’s practice. “We’re going to continue to try to get these guys better if they’re committed to trying to get better. That’s what we’re going to do.

“John (Dorsey) and I do a good job of communicating the possibilities and all those sorts of things. We’re always going to look to improve our football team.”

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The Browns will continue to work with the linemen they had going into the trade deadline, a group of blockers that includes Justin McCray, Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter, Eric Kush, Wyatt Teller, Chris Hubbard, Greg Robinson and Kendall Lamm.

And in their preparations for Sunday’s game at the Denver Broncos, Kitchens expects good competition throughout practice.

“Those guys compete on an every-down basis,” Kitchens said. “Every day, they come to work. They’re pros and try to get better.”

Credit: David Richard/AP
Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter (64) and left guard Joel Bitonio (75) line up during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday, September 22, 2019.

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Kitchens and the Browns were asked all throughout the bye week about potential changes along the offensive line, and the first dominoes fell in last Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Browns kept Robinson, a veteran left tackle and former No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, on the active 46-man gameday roster, but it was only in a reserve role. Veteran interior blocker Justin McCray was elevated to the starting lineup for Robinson.

McCray is in his first season with the Browns and made his second start of the year against the Patriots.

Credit: David Richard/AP
Cleveland Browns guard Justin McCray (67) lines up during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on Sunday, September 22, 2019.

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A third-year pro out of the University of Central Florida, the 6-foot-3, 315-pound McCray has played in 31 career games with 15 starts, 13 of which came when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers.

Although Kitchens felt McCray did well for the most part against the Patriots, whether or not he stays in the starting lineup at left tackle for the Broncos game is still up for debate.

“We’ll continue to evaluate as we go along and see where we end up,” Kitchens said.

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