Shon Coleman is the presumed leader of the pack in the race to be Browns starting left tackle in 2018. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

Shon Coleman and Browns left tackle

CLEVELAND, Ohio - If Shon Coleman is looking for a public vote of confidence in his pursuit of becoming The Guy Who Followed Joe Thomas, he hasn't gotten it from Hue Jackson.

This was Jackson shortly after Thomas retired and left a big hole to fill on the Browns' offensive line: "We are going to play somebody at left tackle, and we are going to give some guys opportunities to do it, but I hope nobody in here thinks the next Joe Thomas is fixing to go play over there this season. We have to go find that guy, just like anything we find. We are going to play some guys, and they are going to play their tails off."

Fair enough. It's safe to say nobody considers Coleman the next Joe Thomas. But the fact that Coleman was a third-round pick in 2016, was a left tackle at Auburn, and started 16 games at right tackle last season seems to point toward him being "that guy" the Browns eventually find.

By the end of minicamp, Jackson offered guarded praise of Coleman's work on the left side.

"We will see. We have not played a game with him over there. Shon has done a good job. Shon has worked extremely hard. He deserves the right to have this opportunity to see if he can be the left tackle," Jackson said. "We will know more about that once the pads come on and it is an everyday get after it session."

That's one thing we know about Coleman's pursuit of the starting left tackle spot. Here are five more:

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Browns offensive tackle Shon Coleman (72) works against outside linebacker Cam Johnson (57) during a practice last season in Berea. (Associated Press)

Thomas let Coleman peek behind the curtain.

The day after Thomas announced his retirement, he was at the team's indoor training facility, sharing his knowledge with Coleman.

Coleman understands that he has big shoes to fill. So the significance of working with Thomas -- something Coleman says has continued this offseason -- isn't lost on him.

"(We've gone over) technique stuff. Just the ways that he went about," Coleman said during OTAs. "Stuff that only a guy like him would know. He told me a couple of the secrets that he uses. Hopefully that will pay off."

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Coleman (72) plays against New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (90) during a preseason game last season. (Associated Press)

Coleman has a fan in the front office

Coleman's work with Thomas has impressed at least one person. But it's an important one.

"You know what was really neat about this?" Browns general manager John Dorsey said the day after Thomas' retirement. "Today, I was walking around the building and I looked out at the indoor facility, and I saw Joe Thomas and Shon Coleman together. They were working on stuff already. You can just see that Shon is committed and he is looking forward to the challenge. That is all you could ask for."

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Coleman (72) blocks against the Steelers during a game last season. (Associated Press)

Coleman is ready for a battle

Coleman said nobody has told him that he is the man to beat, but he said he is certainly approaching this offseason that way. He understands that the Browns have other options.

"I've been in battles since college, so I'm competing with whoever it might be," Coleman said. "(Austin Corbett) or the other tackles on the team. I don't worry about the competition, I just go out there and try to get better, then everything will play off that."

Corbett, a second-round pick this year, was a tackle at Nevada. But the Browns could use him as a versatile backup, shuffling between positions, similar to how they used Spencer Drango last season.

Joel Bitonio and Chris Hubbard have had OTA and minicamp snaps at left tackle, but Bitonio seems entrenched at left guard and Hubbard was signed this offseason to play right tackle.

Undrafted rookie Desmond Harrison and recent acquisition Greg Robinson are part of the backup plans.

"I think we need a lot of answers, obviously," said offensive coordinator Todd Haley. "I am happy that we have a training camp now to get to and put the pads on these guys and see what we really have. You are only going to see so much in shorts, especially at those positions up front. I have been encouraged with the growth of Shon. We do have a Plan B, Plan C and potentially a Plan D that we do not even know about."

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Coleman runs a drill during offseason workouts in Berea. (Associated Press)

Going right to left isn't a big deal (or is it?)

Coleman doesn't think switching back to the left side of the line will be a problem, at least not from a driving-on-the-other-side-of-the-road standpoint.

"The muscle memory has always been there since I was 17 or 18 years old," he said. "Playing that position is what got me this far. I'm glad I played right tackle. It's good that I picked up on things from the right side, but left tackle is definitely the position that I'm a lot more familiar with."

Coleman was ranked 51st among tackles by Pro Football Focus last season. For comparison, Thomas was fourth overall and Drango was 63rd. Hubbard, who played last season with the Steelers, was 40th.

"It's really no big challenge coming back over to the left. Just filling those big shoes. That's the big thing," Coleman said.

Don't count offensive line coach Bob Wylie among those who share Coleman's view.

"What happens when you are moving from right tackle to left tackle -- how many guys play golf here right-handed? Go play left-handed and see how that feels," Wylie said during minicamp. "That is what happens. People do not understand that, except the guys that are really playing. When you have your right hand on the ground, you are using this side of your body most of the time. Now all of a sudden, they are taking you and moving you over to the left side. Now, you have to switch your feet and everything has to move over.

"That just does not happen overnight. It is going to take a while. (Coleman) has had, what, 12 practices over at left tackle? It is going to take a while for him to get used to stepping with the opposite foot, using the opposite hands for different things on the other side of the line."

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Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (right) works a move on offensive tackle Shon Coleman during the team's 2017 training camp. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

Myles Garrett likes what he sees

Whoever wins the left tackle position will see a lot of Garrett during practices, which could be beneficial.

"Every day (Coleman) is finding out because (Garrett is) the kind of guy that he is going to have to block at that position week in and week out," Jackson said.

Garrett, for the record, likes what he has seen from Coleman.

"He's definitely a great run blocker and he's coming along as a pass blocker as well," Garrett said. "I like going against him because he's aggressive and he doesn't stop. He's always trying to get after it whether it's play one or play 40 in practice."

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