CANTON, Ohio — If there was one player who stood out -- literally -- for the Cleveland Browns in their 21-16 victory over the New York Jets in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night, it was right tackle Dawand Jones.
In a weekend celebrating Joe Thomas' induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Browns' rookie offensive tackle did his best impression of Cleveland's iron man, playing every offensive snap of the exhibition -- a rarity for any player in a preseason game. In what marked his first professional contest of any kind, Jones more than held his own against a talented Jets' front-seven, not allowing a single pressure in 74 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
"He should be tired -- although he was just dancing in the locker room, so I'm not sure how tired he is," Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said of Jones after the game. "First reps out there for the kid, he's played in big games as we all know. So he will just continue to get better."
Listed at 6-foot-8 and 375 pounds, Jones isn't hard to miss, with many both at home and in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium asking "who's No. 74?" The Ohio State product also received recognition on NBC's broadcast, with Cris Collinsworth drawing special attention to his rare combination of size and agility.
"You will see the quickness of the feet for someone as big as he is," Collinsworth said. "The ability to stay on those blocks, the ability to protect his quarterback."
As for what's next, Jones will likely continue to see plenty of reps in the preseason before settling into a backup role behind right tackle Jack Conklin heading into his rookie year. But if Thursday's exhibition was any indication, the future is bright for the Browns' 2023 fourth-round pick and it may not be long until everybody already knows who No. 74 on Cleveland is.