Germain Ifedi comfortable at left tackle after a 'good week of prep' before Seattle return

SEATTLE — Germain Ifedi has been in the NFL long enough to know the value of a good week of practice. That's especially true when the object is to get you ready to play a position you really haven't had a lot of chances to play.

Ifedi found himself starting at left tackle for the second consecutive preseason game Saturday night in the Browns ' 37-33 loss to the Seattle Seahawks . However, the start felt a whole lot different to him than even the previous week, when he started at the same spot against the Minnesota Vikings .

"It was a good week of practice," Ifedi said after the game. "It was a good week of prep. Early in the week, I knew I'd be playing primarily left this week, so it's good to kind of hone in on that and had a good plan of practicing and just getting comfortable getting acclimated, and I thought it was solid. A couple things to clean up but had fun out there."

Ifedi was back at home in a sense in Seattle. The Seahawks had originally drafted the big tackle No. 31 overall in the first round in 2016 out of Texas A&M.

However, when Seattle drafted him, they did so as a right tackle. In fact, the right side of the offensive line has been where Ifedi has played all but four of his career regular-season snaps.

"it is always good when you have experience at that spot, and Ifedi has done a tremendous job of playing every position on offensive line, besides center, actually," said quarterback Jameis Winston, who played the first two possessions against the Seahawks. "I think when you have the versatility that he has, sometimes you can miss those reps of what you're probably going to be focused at. But it was extremely positive to see just his improvement of being comfortable and having a great approach at the left tackle position."

The last couple of weeks with the Browns, though, Ifedi has found himself almost exclusively on the left side. That's been a by-product of the revolving door Cleveland's had at that position with Jedrick Wills Jr. continuing to recover from last December's arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

With James Hudson III battling an ankle injury and Hakeem Adeniji now on injured reserve with a knee injury, both sustained a week earlier against the Vikings, it left Ifedi to basically man the position. That means, like it or not, making the adjustment to what remains a somewhat-foreign spot.

"It is been an adjustment, but over the last couple years, I've had to kind of be able to play left as well," Ifedi said. "So in the offseason I've kind of geared my training toward just pounding those reps, because the only way we're going to get comfortable is just getting reps, getting time on task. So just hammering away at, hammering away at it whenever I can. And I think it's been fruitful for me."

During Ifedi's time in the lineup Saturday night against the Seahawks, he was lined up next to rookie Zak Zinter at left guard. Zinter, a third-round pick last April from the University of Michigan, was starting there because Joel Bitonio was one of the nearly 40 Browns players given the night off.

The rest of the starting offensive line — center Ethan Pocic, right guard Wyatt Teller and right tackle Dawand Jones — at least had several games together of experience last season before Jones' season-ending knee injury in December. That, depending on Jack Conklin's recovery from his knee surgery last season, could also be three of the five starters against the Dallas Cowboys in the Sept. 8 season opener.

Bitonio will be back on the field for the opener. Ifedi, though, said he is ready if he needs to step in again for Wills, this time when it matters most.

"Whatever team needs, whatever they ask me to do, I'm always willing," Ifedi said. "I'm always ready to throw my hat in and just do what I can to help the team if that's what they so choose to do. I'm a team guy. I don't want to give you a company line, but I just do it on max. If I got to go play here, I go play here. I got to do this, I got to go do that. I'll do it and I'll do it to the best of my ability."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Germain Ifedi comfortable at left tackle after a 'good week of prep' before Seattle return