Tretter practicing is the center of attention
By STEVE KING
The Browns got the best news possible on Monday when center JC Tretter returned to practice for the first time after having had arthroscopic knee surgery back on Aug. 13.
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He likely didn’t do much – head coach Kevin Stefanski was, not surprisingly, vague about the subject – but at least he was out there doing something, anything. And that’s a huge positive.
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With Tretter practicing now does that mean he will play on Sunday when the Browns go into Baltimore to meet the two-time defending AFC North champion Ravens in the regular-season opener? Who knows? He’s a tough, tough guy – he’s proven that, and then some, in his career – and he would love to be out there because he knows the situation. That is, without him out there, the Browns would have to go with rookie Nick Harris, a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, at center. That’s a scary, scary thought since the Ravens have a scary, scary defense.
Harris may or may not become a decent player in time. That’s still left to be determined. But what we do know now is that having him start – or any rookie center start, for that matter — in Baltimore is not a good idea. The Ravens would likely eat him alive on their way to likely eating quarterback Baker Mayfield alive.
Even with all that, the Browns have to be careful that they don’t push Tretter too hard, too quickly. They need him for the whole season – he’s at the all-important center where you make all the blocking calls and protect the middle of the pocket, after all – and if the whole season is going to be only 15 games and doesn’t include the opener because he is simply not ready, then so be it. The Browns could live with that. They’d have to live with it.
But they could live a lot better – and happier – if doctors clear Tretter to play and he ends up being the guy out there making the line calls and fortifying the middle of the pocket.
