INDIANAPOLIS — Everyone knows the Cleveland Browns need a quarterback in 2025. But the underrated need most people aren’t talking about? It’s that they also need more help protecting that guy, whoever he turns out to be. Yes, while the QB talk is the bulk of the chatter surrounding Cleveland this offseason, and especially this week at the NFL Combine, the less glamorous need is for reliable guys in the trenches after a year of uncertainty and 3-14 season. “It’s probably a room that we’ll continue to add to,” General manager Andrew Berry said on Tuesday. “But those guys are good players and certainly we want them.” So what is the state of the line currently? Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., the former No. 10 overall pick out of Alabama, will hit the free agent market in a couple weeks when the new league year begins on March 12. While a return to Cleveland seems unlikely, if it did happen he would likely be in more of a swing tackle position rather than starting full time. The starting left tackle spot is slated for Dawand Jones, who is entering the third year of his four-year rookie contract. Jones, whose 2024 season ended on Nov. 17 with a broken left fibula, recently underwent arthroscopic surgery to clean up his surgically repaired right knee. He’s expected to be good to go by the start of training camp. The first two seasons of the Ohio State product’s career have ended due to injury. As a rookie, he first underwent surgery to repair his torn MCL midway through the 2023 season, and missed the final nine games after an encouraging performance as the starting right tackle. He missed the final seven games of the 2024 season with the broken fibula. “What we do want to focus on is making sure that Dawand can end the season healthy,” Berry said, “because durability, it is a huge part of it, and we’re a better team when he’s on the field and he’s healthy.” Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski have continued to be complimentary of Jones following his three starts at left tackle. In 176 snaps at the position over those three games he started, Jones gave up no sacks and allowed only six total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus tracking data. “He’s had some really good moments when he is out there,” Stefanski said on Wednesday. “He’s played on the right side. He’s played on the left side, so we’ll see when we get there, but I want to get him healthy first.” The Browns will return center Ethan Pocic, who has been in Cleveland the last two seasons and is entering the final year of his contract. Right tackle Jack Conklin has two years left on his deal, but no guaranteed money remaining. Right guard Wyatt Teller is also back, entering the final year of his contract extension with no more guaranteed money left. The same goes for left guard Joel Bitonio; however, there is a chance that the longest-tenured member of the Browns could opt to retire rather than come back for 2025. It’s a decision that hasn’t been made public yet, but Berry said the Browns are prepared in “both situations,” whether Bitonio decides to hang it up or come back. But does the lack of guaranteed money remaining and the fact that most of the group is about to play on the final year of their current deals make Berry concerned about long-term security up front? “I’d say we have a lot of veterans, accomplished veterans in that group that we like a lot,” Berry said. “Number two, the good thing is that we do have them under contract. guarantees or not. And then number three, the trenches, it’s a huge priority for us. So we have a good group of veterans. We have some young guys that we like.” That may be true, but there’s the other point Berry has continued to hammer home so far this offseason, including as he opened Tuesday talking about Jones' injury. “I’d say that the individual injury itself is, let me knock on wood on this because this went the wrong way for us last year, but the injury individually of itself is not something that is creating a lot of anxiety,” he said. The “this went the wrong way for us last year” is the key part of the quote here. The headline coming out of the Combine a year ago was that the Browns having three starting-caliber tackles was a “good problem” to have in Berry’s eyes. It turned out to be a problem that never existed in 2024, considering Conklin, Wills, and Jones were all returning from 2023 season-ending knee injuries. Conklin wasn’t ready until Week 6 of 2024 after tearing multiple ligaments. Both Wills and Jones struggled to return from their MCL tears, with Wills ending 2024 on injured reserve. Consider this nugget Berry offered up during his season wrap-up presser last month, too. “As I think back to this year when we’ve had guys who have had major surgeries or injuries, the timelines really can be variable until you get a little bit further on,” he said. Entering 2025, it’s safe to guess the Browns will not leave much up to chance when it comes to players returning from injuries. So additions to the O-line? At this point, that seems as likely as a new QB to protect.