Austin Corbett shed Cleveland Browns bust label to become Super Bowl starter for L.A. Rams

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Austin Corbett still remembers Oct. 15, 2019, well enough to list the times he woke up, received a life-changing phone call from former Browns General Manager John Dorsey and departed Cleveland on a flight to Los Angeles.

It's the day Dorsey gave up on Corbett panning out as the first pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft and traded the offensive lineman to the Los Angeles Rams for a fifth-round selection in 2021.

“I had a lot of time to kind of reflect on the flight out, just what did I do wrong while in Cleveland, just trying to look inside how could I have done better, like this is my fault,” Corbett said Thursday night. “Then quickly shift into that mindset of I have this new opportunity to go and make the best of it.”

Corbett capitalized.

Although wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. owns virtually all of the headlines about a player Dorsey brought to Cleveland who's now thriving in Los Angeles, Corbett has become a reliable guard for the Rams. He'll make his 46th consecutive start, including playoffs, when the Rams face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

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Austin Corbett turned career around after falling short of expectations as second-round NFL Draft pick of Browns

During Corbett's journey, he shook off the label of a Browns bust.

“When you get drafted, you're kind of feeling a little good, but also my mentality that I always carry with me, starting my college career as a walk-on, that's kind of the mentality I always carried with me,” Corbett said via Zoom during his Super Bowl media availability. “Just because you're in a position, it doesn't mean you have anything. There's no promises. There's no guarantees.

“I just tried to fall deeper into that mindset when I got traded where like, 'All right. I'm on my own. No one believes in me. That's just fine. I don't need anyone to. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I'm on the field. It doesn't matter what position. I've spent my career bouncing around, and that's just fine. I just want to make sure I'm on the field being one of the five out there to better this team.'

“That's kind of always the mindset I carry with me — it's my job to get it done, and if I don't, I have no one else to blame. It's all my responsibility.”

The Rams' starting right guard, Corbett ranked 27th among 82 qualifying guards in the 2021 season, according to ProFootballFocus.com.

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Corbett started at left tackle in all 49 of his games at the University of Nevada, and the Browns hoped he could play the position for them in the aftermath of 10-time Pro Bowl selection Joe Thomas retiring in March 2018.

However, Corbett didn't convince Hue Jackson and his coaching staff he could lock down the spot. He wound up practicing at left tackle, left guard and center and played just 14 of the offense's 1,091 snaps as a rookie.

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In the 2019 offseason, Dorsey cleared the way for Corbett to start by trading right guard Kevin Zeitler to the New York Giants. But Corbett failed to secure the starting job under coach Freddie Kitchens, settled in as the backup to center JC Tretter and logged just one of the offense's 390 snaps before being traded during a Week 7 bye.

“When I got drafted back in 2018, you kind of have your expectations about how things are going to go, have your ideas and reality sets in. That's just fine,” Corbett said. “Getting traded later in 2019 and just getting a fresh start, having that new perspective and being able to come to an environment where there are no expectations but my own, I get to come in and prove who I am. I get to set the standard for people's opinion of me, and I can't thank [the Rams] organization enough for bringing me in and really just helping me to develop as a player.”

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The Browns drafted Corbett 33rd overall and swapped him for the 169th pick in last year's draft, which GM Andrew Berry used on safety Richard LeCounte III.

In a roundabout way, the deal has worked out for the Browns, the Rams and Corbett.

On Aug. 29, 2019, Dorsey acquired Wyatt Teller in a trade with the Buffalo Bills involving a swap of late-round draft picks. Teller has evolved into a Pro Bowl right guard and received a contract extension from the Browns in November along with four-time Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio.

Bitonio ranked first and Teller fifth among PFF's 82 qualifying guards in the 2021 season.

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Corbett and Bitonio spent one season together at Nevada, then reunited in Cleveland. They're good friends along with Tretter, the president of the NFL Players Association.

“They just took me in,” Corbett said. “We all became very close. Our wives were all close. We've got similar age children. We try to get together in the offseason whenever we can, get some golfing in, the girls hang out with the kids and it's been pretty special.”

In other words, Corbett knows at least a couple members of the Browns will be rooting for him in the Super Bowl.

“They've been incredible with their support,” he said.

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Super Bowl-bound Rams' Austin Corbett shed Browns bust label