Born on October 11, 1991, Joel Michael Bitonio plays guard for the National Football League (NFL) Cleveland Browns in the United States of America. In the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Browns selected him while he was still a collegiate player at Nevada. Bitonio has been selected to six Pro Bowls, two first-team and three second-team All-Pro teams during his NFL career.
Bitonio was a standout athlete in three sports at Long Beach, California’s Wilson High School. As a senior, he was selected for the football and basketball Dream Teams by the Long Beach Press Telegram. He was the Moore League Lineman of the Year in football and was twice selected to the All-league team. MaxPreps.com picked him second-team All-state and he was selected to the first team of the league. As a senior, Bitonio also earned a letter in track and field. At the 2009 CIF Southern Section Division 1 Prelims, he recorded a high throw of 15.39 metres, leading the league in shot put.
Bitonio studied from 2009 to 2013 at the University of Nevada. From the start of his redshirt sophomore to senior seasons, he made 39 consecutive starts. He was chosen for the Mountain West Conference All-Star team as a senior.
In the 2014 NFL Draft, Bitonio was regarded as one of the best offensive lineman prospects.[5][6] In the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns picked him with the 35th overall pick.
Bitonio was placed on injured reserve on December 7, 2015.[8] Following a foot injury in Week 5, Bitonio was once more placed on injured reserve on October 14, 2016.[9]
Bitonio signed a five-year contract deal with the Browns on March 9, 2017, which ran through the 2022 season.[10][11] After starting all 16 games at left guard, he was selected to his first Pro Bowl and was named to the second team of the All-Pro team.
Together with three of his teammates—defense end Myles Garrett, tackle Jack Conklin, and fellow guard Wyatt—Bitonio was named to the 2020 All-Pro Team.
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