Browns general manager Phil Savage said he is not opposed to re-signing veteran left tackle L.J. Shelton, whose one-year contract expires in March.

 In the meantime, though, the club knows it needs to find a young player who can be brought along as a potential long-term fix at that all-important position. So is Nat Dorsey possibly that player?

He could be - the Browns are interested in looking at him as such considering what they paid for him, and he seems to have the potential for it - but only time will tell.

Dorsey, a second-year pro, was a 2004 fourth-round draft choice of the Minnesota Vikings, where, as a rookie, he played in 13 games with seven starts at right tackle. In doing that, the Georgia Tech product was tied for second for the most starts by a Vikings rookie last year.

Dorsey was traded to the Browns at the end of the 2005 preseason for fourth-year guard/center Melvin Fowler. Although Fowler was once again set for reserve duty in Cleveland, the Vikings were willing to deal a young talent to get him because of problems along their offensive line.

Despite what Dorsey did in 2004, the Browns, who already had a slew of veterans to start on their line, viewed Dorsey as a project from the get-go. He played nine games this season seeing limited time at right tackle in place of starter Ryan Tucker.

But Dorsey doesn't look at it as a lost year. Not at all, especially for someone who didn't turn 22 years old until four months ago.

"Actually, this was a good year for me because I received excellent tutelage here," he said. "I learned a lot. I can't even begin to explain just how much I learned."

Such as what?

"To lose weight," he laughed.

The 6-foot-7 Dorsey is listed at 322 pounds, but he admits he passed that number a while back - such as during his high school days in New Orleans.

"I was 325 to 330 pounds in high school, but I'm 340 now," he said. "I want to get down to 325 or 330. I'd feel much more comfortable there. That's what the veterans on the line here told me, that if you can get your weight down some, you'll play longer at a higher level. They called it feeling younger longer."

In addition, Dorsey, who was a three-year starter at Georgia Tech and a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick, learned that versatility is another key ingredient for a young lineman.

"I feel more comfortable at left tackle, but playing on the right side in Minnesota really helped me," he said. "They have me backing up at left and right tackle here, so I'm having to learn both positions, which is good."

Learn and learning. The more you talk to Dorsey about his present and future with the Browns, the more he uses those two words. And that's what you want from a young player - a thirst for knowledge, the humility to accept constructive criticism and a real desire to get better.

"L.J., Ryan (Tucker, starting right tackle), Cosey (Coleman, right guard) and all of the rest of the guys here have been good to me to teach me so many things," he said. "I'm learning a whole new way to play football."

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