Speaking June 17 during the Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards show, Thomas said he plans to visit Browns training camp, which will begin in late July at team headquarters in Berea.

A Pro Football Hall of Famer, Thomas also said he’s open to advising Jones as the offensive lineman from Ohio State attempts to convert to a full-time left tackle in his third NFL season. Thomas starred as a left tackle for the Browns from 2007-17.

The Browns drafted Jones in the fourth round (No. 111 overall) in 2023. Although he has played left tackle for them, right tackle has been his primary position. An attempt at a full-fledged switch is underway.

“Dawand is a talented guy,” Thomas told the Beacon Journal on stage at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron. “He's doing great things, and I'm excited to just be around. If there is an opportunity for me to talk to Dawand a little bit, to share some of the wisdom and the insight that I've learned over my 11 years playing and now my seven years after being done playing, I'm definitely going to take that opportunity because I think the sky's the limit for Dawand.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Thomas has mentored a Browns offensive lineman since he retired after the 2017 season. Careful to avoid stepping on the toes of Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and his assistants, the 40-year-old Thomas has been embraced by Stefanski as a de facto consultant.

Browns legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas talks with Beacon Journal sports writer Nate Ulrich at the 2025 Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at the John S. Knight Center.

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski welcomes guidance from iconic left tackle Joe Thomas

“Joe is always welcome here,” Stefanski said at the time. “I've told him that. He can come every day if he wants. We'll set up a locker for him. He's somebody who's done it at such a high level for such a long time, been through the ups and downs of an NFL season, so I just think he has a lot to offer our guys. So as much as Joe is willing, we're always willing to take him here at Berea.”

Browns Hall of Famer Joe Thomas says he has an 'itch inside of me to coach'

Since then, Thomas has gained more coaching experience.

In 2024, Thomas, his wife, Annie, and their four children temporarily moved to Munich, Germany, where Thomas served as the offensive line coach of the European League of Football’s Munich Ravens.

“I've got this itch inside of me to coach,” Thomas said. “I've always loved, even when I was playing, coaching some of the younger guys for the Browns and trying to teach them the process that I learned from the older guys of how you prepare for practice, how you prepare for a game, how you evaluate yourself, how you improve and how you just stay levelheaded.

“When I was over in Munich, it really gave me an opportunity to kind of scratch that itch, to coach some professional players over there and get myself back into that competitive arena where every single Sunday you're evaluated and graded on the work that you put in up until that day. It was an incredible experience. I'm so thankful that my family and my wife and my kids were willing to jump on board with me when I said, ‘Hey, let's go to Munich for a year!’”

Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Dawand Jones (79) chats with defensive end Myles Garrett (95) during practice at minicamp June 10, 2025, in Berea, Ohio.

Cleveland Browns legend Joe Thomas benefited from a cerebral approach during his NFL career

Thomas is a natural fit for coaching because he has always taken immense pride in being a student of the game. Combining innate talent with dedication to relentlessly studying technique and opponents allowed him to earn 10 consecutive Pro Bowl selections and play all 10,363 offensive snaps of his career until he suffered a torn triceps on Oct. 22, 2017, against the Tennessee Titans.

“The mental side of the game is huge,” Thomas said. “Being in the right position at the right time, being in balance when you're making contact with your opponent, that's everything. When you eliminate the inefficiencies in your game, you're able to do more and be in better position more often.

“I knew that would help me become a better player. I think that just focusing on every little detail, always striving for perfection, it was really important for me to be able to try to get the most out of what I did for my living, right? Because, for me, I’ve got to be perfect. I'm the bodyguard for the quarterback. If I let one bad dude by one time, he wins, and my quarterback's getting sawed in half and lifted off the field on a stretcher.”

Now Thomas is prepared to share some tricks of the bodyguard trade with Jones.

Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Joe Thomas plans to visit Browns training camp, has advice for 'talented guy' Dawand Jones