By Nate Ulrich
Beacon Journal sports writer
BEREA: Browns coach Hue Jackson said in November offensive lineman and 2015 first-round draft pick Cameron Erving would be moved to tackle if things didn’t work out for him at center.
Well, Erving practiced Wednesday as the starting right tackle while the Browns (1-14) prepared for their season finale on the road Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5).
It’s a clear indication the Browns don’t believe Erving will be their center of the future. It’s also a sign they’re interested to find out whether his career can be salvaged at another position.
“It’s the last game of the season, and it’s what the coaches want to see,” Erving said after practice. “They want to see different combinations. Maybe I play right tackle in the game. Maybe I don’t. Only time will tell.”
At Florida State University, Erving started 37 games at left tackle before moving to center for the final five games. Former Browns General Manager Ray Farmer then drafted Erving 19th overall with a plan to have him succeed three-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack, who left the Browns in March as a free agent.
Last season, Erving struggled mightily as a rookie in four starts at guard (he also dabbled at right tackle in training camp). He has started 12 games at center this season with disappointing results.
So Erving, 24, is not opposed to giving right tackle a shot.
“It’s definitely a little exciting, just to be able to potentially have that opportunity to go out and play tackle again,” Erving said.
“I’m definitely confident in my ability, regardless of where I’m playing on the offensive line, and I’m still firm on that,” he added. “Given the opportunity to put all my efforts into one position, I can play any position on the offensive line.”
Is right tackle the best spot for Erving?
“It’ll be tough to say until you see him out there in a game,” 10-time Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said. “I think he’s a versatile guy, which is sometimes good, sometimes bad, and I think he’s shown the ability to play a lot of positions so far.”
In addition to playing experience in college, there’s another reason to believe tackle is a better fit for Erving than center. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 313 pounds, he’s taller than a prototypical center.
“The two things that would make being taller at center difficult is a lot of times you’re playing against really short, squatty nose guards, so you have to bend even further to get leverage to get under them,” Thomas said. “And then the second issue is when you’re a center, you have a guy on either side of you the whole time that’s usually working in combination with you, and if you’re taller, you can’t use as wide of a base ’cause you’re going to step on each other’s feet whereas if you’re a tackle, you can kind of elongate your base.”
Erving conceded he and the guards have had to focus on “just trying to make sure we minimized tripping over each other and just making sure we stayed compact.”
If the Browns choose to start Erving at right tackle Sunday, they could move Austin Pasztor from right tackle to right guard and summon backup center Anthony Fabiano.
Reviewing roster move
The movement on the offensive line might explain in part why the Browns on Tuesday waived Jonathan Cooper, a former first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals who started the past three games at right guard. Cooper is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
“We saw what we needed to see,” Jackson said. “We appreciate the time that Jonathon was here, but we thought that was the best decision for us to move forward.”
Awards season
The local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America voted Thomas the Browns’ player of the year and inside linebacker Chris Kirksey the Dino Lucarelli “Good Guy Award” winner.
Thomas is the only player in team history to receive the honor more than once and the only lineman to win the award since its inception in 2001. He was selected player of the year in 2014, too.
“Joe is probably my player of the year, too, for what he has done for our football team and organization for being out there playing,” Jackson said. “I can’t say enough about a guy that does not miss a football snap. That is dependability at its best.”
The “Good Guy Award” is given annually to a player for his cooperation with the media and for the way he carries himself in the community and with his teammates.
Kirksey also ranks fourth in the NFL this season with a career-high 136 tackles to go along with 1.5 sacks and three passes defensed. He has started all 15 games.
“Kirko is a rising football player on our football team and within pro football itself,” Jackson said. “He has had a hell of a year and he needs to keep growing, but I think he gets it. It is about team for him. It has never just been about him, and I appreciate it. At the end of the day, your good guys have to be that way because they have to keep pulling people over this wall as we move forward.”
Another honor
Parma Heights native Jamie Meder was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after he blocked a 32-yard field goal with 3:45 left in the fourth quarter of the Browns’ 20-17 win over the San Diego Chargers on Christmas Eve.
He is the first Browns defensive lineman to become the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Win for food bank
A large faction of Browns fans had planned to hold a sarcastic “perfect season parade” if the team finished the season with a dreaded record of 0-16. Event organizers had raised more than $10,000 to pay for expenses.
After the Browns captured their first victory this past weekend and avoided a winless season, parade planners vowed to donate the money they raised to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. The Browns then committed to donating an additional $10,000 to the food bank.
Injury report
The following Browns players didn’t practice Wednesday: quarterback Robert Griffin III (concussion), cornerbacks Joe Haden (neck, groin) and Trey Caldwell (hamstring), running back Duke Johnson (ankle), outside linebacker Cam Johnson (groin) and Thomas (knee).
Cornerback Jamar Taylor (groin), tight end Randall Telfer (ankle, thumb), long snapper Charley Hughlett (hamstring) and inside linebacker Dominique Alexander (abdominal, groin) were limited.