Jedrick Wills‘ disappointing 2024 campaign has likely come to an end. The Browns announced today that they’ve placed the former starting lineman on injured reserve.
[RELATED: Browns To Demote LT Jedrick Wills]
After dealing with a nagging knee injury to start the season, Wills suffered a hyperextended knee in Week 7 that’s sidelined him for four of the past five weeks. While the lineman has been a mainstay on the injury report over that span, it sounds like he wouldn’t have seen the field even if he was healthy.
With Dawand Jones running with the LT gig, Kevin Stefanski revealed that Wills would serve as a backup when he was healthy enough for the 53-man roster. The former first-round pick’s knee injury made sure the backup plan never came to true fruition, but it was already clear that Wills was out of Cleveland’s plans for the 2024 campaign.
Wills has been the Browns’ full-time LT since joining the organization in 2020. He stayed relatively healthy through his first three seasons in the NFL, but he’s struggled to stay on the field in 2023 and 2024. An MCL injury limited him to only eight contests last year, and he’ll likely end his 2024 campaign with only five appearances. This is especially poor timing for the lineman, as Wills is set to hit free agency after this season.
The Browns weren’t done making moves today. The team announced that defensive tackle Maurice Hurst has also landed on IR. Hurst suffered injuries to both his ankle and foot on Monday night, and the issues will likely sideline him for the rest of the campaign. Both Wills and Hurst will be eligible to return for the regular season finale, but there’s a good chance the team opts to play younger players vs. forcing a veteran back from injury.
In corresponding moves, the Browns signed wideouts Kadarius Toney and Michael Woods from the practice squad to the active roster. Defensive tackle T.Y. McGill and receiver James Proche earned standard promotions from the practice squad.