The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Browns counting on Tretter staying healthy to plug leak at center position
JC Tretter
POSITION » Center HEIGHT, WEIGHT » 6-foot-4, 307 BIRTHDATE » Feb. 12, 1991 YEARS PRO » Fourth season COLLEGE » Cornell RANKING » 13th of 25 TRETTER’S BACKGROUND
» Former Browns general manager Tom Heckert, always hesitant to make a splash in free agency, justified his inaction by saying “Free agents are free for a reason,” implying that if you look hard enough, you’ll find a skeleton in their closet.
The “skeleton” in Tretter’s closet is he battled injuries his first three years in Green Bay after being drafted by the Packers in the fourth round in 2013.
He missed his entire rookie season with a broken ankle and eight games in 2014 with a knee injury. He played all 16 games in 2015, but started only three games subbing for center Corey Linsley. Tretter missed the final nine games last season in Green Bay with a torn MCL.
The Browns were in a bind entering the 2017. Cameron Erving started at center last year and was a colossal failure.
John Greco can play center, but he is coming off foot surgery and is slated for a backup role if he makes the team.
Austin Reiter showed promise last year, but he suffered a knee injury in his only start.
Despite everything that Tretter has gone through the last four years, the Browns signed him to a three-year, $16.75 million contract with $10 million guaranteed. WHY TRETTER IS RANKED 13TH » Alex Mack played so well as the Browns center from 2010 to 2015 it was easy to take him for granted.
It became obvious how much he was missed when Erving tried to fill his shoes. The success or failure of an offensive line starts with its center.
2016 RECAP » Tretter might have begun the 2016 season as the Packers backup center, but Corey Linsley tore a hamstring twice in the offseason, opening the door for Tretter to start. Tretter started the first seven games, but then a knee injury put him on the shelf for the final nine games. He ended up requiring surgery in January. WHY TRETTER IS IMPORTANT
IN 2017 » The Browns are stocked with centers heading into training camp, but clearly the plan is for Tretter to win the job. Because he missed his entire rookie season, Tretter was a restricted free agent this past winter. The Packers wanted him back but could not afford him.
“The center is like the quarterback before the quarterback gets into the huddle,” Browns offensive line coach Bob Wylie said. “He has to get everybody where they need to be, and when they need to be there, based off of what he sees in the coverages, based off of what he sees by linebacker alignments, defensive alignments, all of that stuff. I thought (signing Tretter) was a really smart move.” PREDICTION FOR 2017 » Health is impossible to predict, but Tretter is due for a healthy season. The Browns will be happy with their investment if he can line up for 16 games.