Jedrick Wills did not suffer an ACL tear, but a knee injury has kept the four-year Browns left tackle out of action since Week 9 of last season. The string of missed games will stop today for the contract-year blocker.
The Browns have listed Wills as active, and TheLandOnDemand.com’s Tony Grossi indicates the former first-round pick will be the team’s left tackle starter opposite from Dawand Jones. While Wills is back, Jack Conklin — after making his return from an ACL tear last week — is out.
Although an MCL sprain was primary issue impacting Wills’ lengthy absence, he missed all this time due to also sustaining PCL damage and bone bruises in his injured right knee. Wills missed all of Cleveland’s offseason program and training camp but avoided the reserve/PUP list. That will allow a Week 3 debut, whereas a PUP placement would have required a four-game absence. Conklin missed all of Browns camp as well, but he had suffered an ACL tear for the second time as a pro. Conklin is also secure with a third lucrative contract, while Wills is playing for his second.
Seeing his fifth-year option ($19.7MM) picked up in May 2023, Wills must answer questions in a pivotal year. He can begin that effort in earnest against the Giants today, and the Browns now have four of their five O-line starters healthy. The Browns have guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller signed beyond 2024, and center Ethan Pocic‘s three-year deal runs through 2025.
Conklin’s most recent extension covers him through 2026, but no guarantees are still in place post-2024 on that contract. Conklin, 30, will need to show he can stay healthy this season. That effort is not going especially well so far, with the ninth-year tackle logging two full practices before being limited Friday and out today. Conklin should be expected to return next week, per Grossi, but this is obviously a situation to monitor given the former first-rounder’s injury past.
Wills, 25, has started every game he has played (53) since the Browns made him the 10th overall pick in 2020. This included a 15-game 2020 season and a 17-game 2022 effort. Pro Football Focus graded Wills as a mid-pack tackle from 2020-22, before assigning him a worse grade last season.
Next year could present a host of interesting options for tackle-needy teams. As of now, Wills joins Ronnie Stanley, Garett Bolles and Cam Robinson as veteran LTs unsigned. The Rams’ Alaric Jackson is also out of contract after this season. Extensions may well thin this crop, but Wills is younger than this lot and could have nearly 70 starts on his NFL resume after this season.
Of course, the Alabama alum will need to show he has recovered from his troublesome knee malady to set himself up for a big payday — either from the Browns or a tackle-seeking team in free agency — come 2025.