Zeitler follows former Wisconsin Badger Joe Thomas to Browns

Kevin Zeitler

POSITION » Right guard HEIGHT, WEIGHT » 6-foot-4, 315 pounds BIRTH DATE » March 8, 1990 YEARS PRO » Sixth season COLLEGE » Wisconsin RANKING » 18th of 25 ZEITLER’S BACKGROUND » Two Wisconsin Badgers will be starting on the Browns offensive line for at least the next two years — left tackle Joe Thomas, the third overall pick of the 2007 draft, and Zeitler, selected 27th overall by the Bengals in 2012. Zeitler played five seasons with the Bengals before becoming the highest paid guard in NFL history when he signed a fiveyear, $60 million deal with the Browns in March.

Zeitler knows how to take care of his body. The Browns monitor the nutrition of their players during the time the team is in Berea, but Zeitler also likes to cook. After studying the matter closely he knows what he should and shouldn’t cook.

“Cooking is a life skill,” he told ESPN when he played for the Bengals. You need that for afterwards anyway. I knew a lot of basics, but if you ever look at a nutrition magazine, there are only 10,000 ways of people doing things. I just wanted to get myself on a more focused path and just made up a plan. It told me what to eat and I took care of all that. I took care of all the

cooking myself.

“It’s more of a bodybuilder style. It’s just pretty much eating every three to four hours, and it’s just a higher protein intake and still a good amount of carbs. You eat more, but you lose. It’s a crazy thing.” WHY ZEITLER IS RANKED

18TH » Guards are supposed to be anonymous, but they aren’t anonymous when they’re paid as much as the Browns are dishing out to Zeitler, who proved in Cincinnati he is reliable and durable. The Browns can count on the same effort.

2016 RECAP » Zeitler started all 16 games at right guard for the Bengals last season as well as all 16 in 2015. He helped the Bengals finish 13th in rushing offense and compile 1,769 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns in 2016. WHY ZEITLER IS IMPORTANT IN 2017 » The Browns have to get better in the trenches before they can be better in the standings. Zeitler can be a big part of that improvement as a run blocker and a pass blocker. Consistency is important for any position, but especially on the offensive line because al five players have to be in sync. Zeitler’s history shows he’ll hold up his end of the bargain.

PREDICTION FOR 2017 » The Browns run offense will improve with Zeitler at right guard, and the depth on the offensive line will be better if John Greco bounces back from foot surgery to make the final roster as a backup.

Pass protection was a major issue last year. The Browns allowed a record 66 sacks. That number should go down with stronger inte- rior blocking.

“It’s more of a bodybuilder style. It’s just pretty much eating every three to four hours, and it’s just a higher protein intake and still a good amount of carbs. You eat more, but you lose. It’s a crazy thing.” — Kevin Zeitler, on cooking for himself

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE Kevin Zeitler blocks for the Bengals during an October game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.