Browns OT Dawand Jones Out to Expose Hole in T.J. Watt’s Game

The Steelers and Browns will be a battle of elite edge rushers against one another, with Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt across from one another on each side. Interestingly, the mirroring does not stop there. Pittsburgh, who has worked rookie Broderick Jones at right tackle could have Jones make his first start, while Dawand Jones, the rookie right tackle for the Browns, is set for his first start after the injury to Jack Conklin.

That matchup is circled on the calendar for Jones, who gets an opportunity to prove himself against one of the best in the NFL. He is 120 pounds heavier than Watt and has excellent length. Those are two distinct advantages that Jones sees in his game over Watt. But he thinks Watt has a hole in his game that he wants to expose when they play.

“Like I said, using my length. He kind of leaves his chest open a little bit during the pass game. Using that. There are other things to it. Making sure I get back. He’s a great player,” Jones said.

RELATED: Steelers Star OLB T.J. Watt Could Have Another Huge Game vs. Browns

Jones played 52 snaps against the Bengals, with 20 pass-blocking snaps peppered throughout that game. In those 20 reps, Jones allowed zero pressures. Of course, there were some rookie struggles, but that’s impressive for the rookie tackle. The Steelers and Browns will have to chess match around this matchup, though.

Watt had three sacks against McKivitz, though. And he is a proven superstar who feasts even against top competition. Watt against a fourth-round rookie screams as a mismatch, no matter how good Jones looked on Sunday. With how much 12 personnel the Browns play, it seems likely that Jones will have some help against Watt, but even when McKivitz had help on Sunday, Watt seemed to destroy it. We are talking about one of the elite edge rushers in the NFL.

Alex Highsmith against Jedrick Wills is another matchup that favors Pittsburgh, too. Wills is anything but steady on the other side, and Cleveland may have to allocate help to both sides. So, if they focus on Watt, Highsmith could be due for a big day after facing Trent Williams. Watt has everything in this matchup, but that gives Jones very little to lose. He needs to compete on a snap-to-snap basis against Watt.

For Jones, that length is his greatest asset. At his size, he has excellent foot speed, and that can help counter Watt’s explosiveness. But Watt is so multiple in the moves he has in his arsenal that the impressive rookie has to be on his heels, ready for anything. Expect Watt to get plenty of pressure on Deshaun Watson, but Jones is a feisty, talented player that can put up a solid fight.