How Old is the Browns' Offensive Line Compared to the Rest of the NFL?

Every year, Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com generates a list of the average age of every team in the NFL, ranking them from the oldest to the youngest. Two years ago, the Browns were listed as having the 25th oldest offensive line with an average age of 27 years.

Last year, he said the Browns had the 9th oldest offensive line in the NFL, with an average age of 27.2 years of age. However, that was with a projection of Jason Pinkston starting; I correctly substituted Joel Bitonio in as a rookie, yielding a more accurate age of 26.4 years of age, the 20th oldest offensive line in the NFL.

This year, Kempski has the Browns with the 8th oldest offensive line in the NFL with an average age of 27.4 years. That is calculated for a line that does not have OL Cameron Erving, the No. 19 overall pick of the draft, in the starting lineup, though. Here is what Kempski used for the Browns' offensive line age in 2015:

Erving is 22 years old. If you plug him in for Schwartz, the Browns' average age is 26.8 years, which would give them the 12th oldest line in the NFL. If you remove Greco, though, the Browns' average age drops to 25.8 years, which would put them at the 20th oldest offensive line in the NFL again.

Thomas, Bitonio, and Greco are all locked up for awhile. Schwartz is a free agent next season, and Mack has the opportunity to opt out. If the Browns are thinking of wanting continuity on the offensive line for at least three more years, the best way to minimize the damage would be to start Erving over Schwartz in 2015.