Before the Pro Bowl nods, before the second-team All-Pro selections and before the two kids, RG Wyatt Tellerwas just a rookie trying to make the daunting jump from college to the NFL.
Not only were the players he lined up against bigger and faster than those he faced in college, but the jargon describing offensive line schemes was vastly more complex in the pros.
"I mean, we had zone right, zone left in college and then all of a sudden when I get [to the NFL], there's different holes, different gaps, different everything," Teller said Monday afternoon.
In his six seasons since making that initial adjustment, Teller has learned what it means to be a pro. He's also become a cornerstone of a Browns offensive line that had three Pro Bowlers last year in Teller, C Ethan Pocic and LG Joel Bitonio.
However, despite the consistency the Browns feature at offensive line, one variable was introduced over the offseason. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan left after four seasons to serve as the Titans offensive line coach, taking advantage of the unique opportunity to work under his son and Tennessee head coach Brian.
Andy Dickerson, who was most recently the offensive line coach with the Seahawks, slid in to replace Callahan. Teller said the lessons and philosophy Callahan instilled while in Cleveland didn't leave when the coach took a different job.
"The techniques have slightly changed a little bit but the guys that we've been playing with are the same guys that were under Bill," Teller said. "We all know the stuff that he taught us. He was a great coach, great leader and I appreciate Coach Callahan, but he took an unbelievable opportunity with his son, so I hope the best for him, but we're moving on in Cleveland."
A former offensive lineman at Tufts University, Dickerson has a wide range of experience in various roles across the NFL – including a two-season stint as a defensive quality control coach and assistant offensive line coach with the Browns from 2009-10.
Despite having big shoes to fill, Dickerson is leaving his own mark on the Browns offense.
"I don't want any coach to be anybody that they're not. I want the best versions of our players, I want the best versions of our coaches," head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday. "Andy's very authentic to himself. He has a really good way about him and how he teaches, how he pushes the guys. Very, very smart in the meeting room. Really a very good collaborator. So, he works well with everybody and putting plans together."
Likely one of the top players Dickerson and the offensive line will focus on stopping as they enter the start of the season is Cowboys LB Micah Parsons, who the Browns will face in Week 1.
Parsons is one of the most versatile players in the NFL, able to make a defensive impact as a defensive end, linebacker and even defensive back. Parsons has been a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award in each of his three seasons as a pro – falling short last season as DE Myles Garrett took home the hardware.
"He's a hell of a player, I think he has the ability to do it," Teller said of Parson's DPOY prospects. "One of my best friends on the team is Myles Garrett, so he's going to have to beat him out. Myles is always looking good. But Micah has all the intangibles, tangibles. He's a hell of a pass rusher."
The Browns offensive line wants nothing to do with helping Parsons make his case for the DPOY award when he comes to Huntington Bank Field on Sunday. They might have to rely on younger players to do so.
While Teller, Bitonio and Pocic are expected to start on the interior of the offensive line, the two starting tackle spots could be in question as players work their way back into football shape.
Jack Conklin, who has played right tackle for the entirety of his career, returned to practice Aug. 28 for the first time since suffering a knee injury in the first week of the 2023 season.
Jedrick Wills Jr., who started at left tackle for eight games last season before going down with a season-ending injury, was taken off the active/physically unable to perform list during training camp but has not yet returned to practice. Wills Jr. and Conklin were listed as the starting left and right tackles, respectively, on the Browns unofficial depth chart released Tuesday afternoon.
If Conklin or Wills are not able to play Sunday, Dawand Jones will likely see action. As a rookie, Jones took over for Conklin at right tackle last season before having season-ending knee surgery.
Teller said Jones has always played with confidence, something he attributed to the young player's successful rookie season.
"His belief in himself is unbelievable and he definitely knows he's a good player, so as long as he can build on that and everything like that, I think that if he does everything right, stays on top of everything, he'll be writing his own checks one day," Teller said.
Jones, as well the other young players on the Browns offensive line like rookie G Zak Zinter, seem to be figuring out their roles in the NFL – maybe, Teller said, at a faster pace than he did six years ago.
"We have some smart, talented rookies and young guys in general, who are just further advanced than I was, which is good. … Maybe I was not advanced," Teller joked. "But just teaching them some stuff that helped me out, just trying to get them brought up."
Whether he was advanced as a rookie or not, there's no question that Teller has grown in his six years in the league. A lot has changed, most recently, his family – which grew by one last Friday as the Tellers welcomed a daughter, Virginia.
As Teller balances being a father and preparing for the start of the season, September will be a busy month for the offensive lineman. But, as many of his teammates have echoed this preseason, he's taking it one week at a time.
"All jokes aside, we're excited to play," Teller said. "We want to win as many games as possible and it starts with Game 1. Not to be cliché, but I really do take it week by week, so I'm focused on the Cowboys."
