The Cleveland Browns announced on Tuesday they had signed offensive tackle Greg Robinson, the second player picked in the 2014 NFL Draft -- a transaction that might have set up an Auburn-vs.-Auburn competition in training camp for the team's left tackle spot.
Robinson became a free agent in March and had remained on the market throughout the period of the NFL's offseason programs. The Browns held their final minicamp practice on Thursday and are scheduled to open training camp on July 27.
The Browns need to replace 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, who retired after the 2017 season.
Former Auburn standout Shon Coleman, who spent his second NFL season as Cleveland's right offensive tackle in 2017, has gotten the first crack at filling Thomas' old spot during the offseason program. During the 2013 season, Coleman served as Robinson's backup at left offensive tackle for Auburn.
Left guard Joel Bitonio, rookies Justin Corbett and Desmond Harrison and former UAB standout Chris Hubbard have remained options at left tackle, though. Cleveland signed Hubbard to a five-year, $37.5 million contract in March to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency to become the Browns' right tackle.
"I don't know if he's clearly ahead of everybody else because there's a lot of guys just that sitting behind him," Cleveland offensive-line coach Bob Wylie said of Coleman's lead at the position, indicating a slight separation with his hands. "We just need to say, 'OK, this is the guy that we're going to go with.'"
Robinson might be "Plan D" at left tackle.
"I'm happy we have a training camp now to get to and put the pads on these guys and see what we really have," Cleveland offensive coordinator Todd Haley said last week. "You're only going to see so much in shorts, especially at those positions up front. I've been encouraged with the growth of Shon. We do have a Plan B, Plan C and, potentially, a Plan D that we don't even know about."
After the Houston Texans selected South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney with the first choice in the 2014 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams selected Robinson. But the former Auburn standout never reached the performance level that the Rams envisioned for him, although he started 42 of 46 games in three seasons with the team.
When the Los Angeles Rams signed left tackle Andrew Whitworth away from the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency before the 2017 season, it left Robinson without a spot, and he was traded to the Detroit Lions for a sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Taylor Decker, Detroit's left tackle, had had surgery to repair a torn labrum 10 days before the Lions acquired Robinson.
Robinson beat out former Alabama standout Cyrus Kouandjio and Storm Norton to start at left tackle for Detroit last season. But six games into the campaign, he suffered an ankle injury that sent him to injured reserve for the rest of the year.
Robinson became a free agent when his four-year, $21,284,098 rookie contract ran out with the end of the NFL's 2017 business year in March.
On the final day of Cleveland's offseason program last week, Wylie said Coleman had some things to work on if he wanted to be the Browns' left tackle when they kick off the 2018 season.
"He has the athleticism," Wylie said. "I think the footwork -- we need to keep working on the fundamentals and that stuff. Being an athlete, he gets himself in some pretty awkward positions and gets himself out of them.
"We have to keep working on his footwork and his hands to make sure I get him from Point A to Point B without any wasted motion. We have 83 days before we have to play the Pittsburgh Steelers. If we can't get it done in 83 days, then it's probably not going to get done."
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.
from Auburn Sports Impact http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/06/greg_robinson_signs_with_cleve.html
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