Joe Thomas replacement? Browns sign former No. 2 overall draft pick Greg Robinson

Joe Thomas was the No. 3 pick of the 2007 NFL draft. Could the Cleveland Browns replace him with the man who was taken second overall seven years later?

The team signed tackle Greg Robinson, once taken out of Auburn with that lofty selection by the St. Louis Rams in 2014, Tuesday as it continues to collect options in the wake of Thomas' offseason retirement.

Robinson played in 46 of a possible 48 games with the Rams but was a major disappointment, traded to Detroit following the 2016 campaign. He filled in for injured left tackle Taylor Decker for six games in 2017 before suffering his own season-ending ankle injury.

Robinson could get another shot in Cleveland as new man on the blind side, a post where Thomas notched 10 consecutive Pro Bowl nods before tearing a triceps muscle last season. Tackle was long the rare strength on a roster that has otherwise been woefully deficient. But Thomas no longer felt he could live up to his own Hall of Fame-caliber abilities, and solid right tackle Mitchell Schwartz signed a big contract with Kansas City following the 2015 season.

The Browns also have Shon Coleman and newly signed Chris Hubbard as tackle options. Veteran Donald Stephenson is another but has been suspended for the first two games of the 2018 season for substance abuse violations. Veteran Joel Bitonio and rookie Austin Corbett — both played tackle at Nevada — seem better suited to guard in the NFL, but either could go outside.

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