Jedrick Wills

Browns LT Jedrick Wills To Debut In Week 3

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.

Browns T Jedrick Wills To Return To Practice

One of three Browns tackles to see their 2023 season end due to a knee injury, Jedrick Wills has been on the mend for nearly 10 months. An MCL issue led to the end of Wills’ 2023 season, and he spent all of training camp on the Browns’ active/PUP list.

Cleveland activated Wills from the PUP list last week, keeping him in play to begin his season at some point during Cleveland’s first four games. Unlike Jack Conklin and Dawand Jones, however, Wills has not yet debuted at practice. That is expected to change Wednesday. Kevin Stefanski said all players on Cleveland’s active roster will practice today.

[RELATED: Nick Chubb Stays On Browns’ PUP List]

This is a long time coming for Wills, who has missed extensive time with multiple knee issues. Stefanski said Wills went down with an MCL sprain in early November of last year; he underwent surgery in December. Beyond the high-grade MCL issue, the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling notes Wills suffered a low-grade PCL sprain and bone bruises in his right knee.

Wills then sat out Cleveland’s offseason program and did not participate in training camp. While he is now finally on his way back, the fifth-year blocker may not be a great bet to debut in Week 1 due to the missed time. Wills passed a physical last week, Easterling adds, but did not practice Monday. This calls into question his availability for the Cowboys matchup, but the team should look forward to its longtime blindside presence being ready soon — at long last. Wills later confirmed (via Easterling) he would not start Sunday.

The Browns saw Jones, their preferred swing tackle who needed to start much of last season due to Conklin’s injury, return on time for training camp after his season-ending knee injury. Conklin did not and missed all of training camp following the ACL and MCL tears sustained in Week 1 of last season. Conklin beating Wills back to work was notable, given the severity of the veteran’s injuries, but the cliche of no two injuries being alike applies to Cleveland’s tackle situation. A 2020 first-round pick entering his fifth-year option season, Wills will need to show good form soon, as this is a contract year for a player who would stand to cash in big — either via extension or as a 2025 free agent — if he returns to full strength.

James Hudson primarily worked in Wills’ place during camp, with veterans Germain Ifedi and Hakeem Adeniji seeing time as well. Adeniji is off the Browns’ roster after an August IR placement, while Ifedi did not make the 53-man roster. The former first-rounder landed on Cleveland’s practice squad, however, with Hudson and Jones in place as the top backups. It will be interesting to see how the Browns’ O-line looks against the Cowboys, as Conklin has also barely practiced since completing his ACL rehab.

Browns To Activate Jack Conklin, Greg Newsome; Jedrick Wills Activation Expected

Slow-playing Nick Chubb‘s recovery as expected, the Browns will give the Pro Bowl running back’s collection of backups some help to start the season. Jack Conklin is coming off the team’s active/PUP list Monday, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reports. Jedrick Wills is expected to follow soon after.

Conklin will practice Tuesday, per Kevin Stefanski, while Wills is not yet ready. The Browns needed to activate both tackles to avoid each beginning the season on the reserve/PUP list, which would have knocked both out for at least four games to open the season. Each has been rehabbing knee injuries. Conklin suffered ACL and MCL tears in Week 1 of last season; Wills underwent MCL surgery late last year.

Cleveland is also not planning to have Greg Newsome on the NFI list to start the season, while Stefanski said (via the Akron Beacon Journal’s Chris Easterling) Dalvin Tomlinson will join the recovering cornerback at practice Tuesday. Stefanski added (via TheLandOnDemand.com’s Tony Grossi) Nyheim Hines is not yet off Cleveland’s active/NFI list but could practice later this week. It seems the Browns are also preparing to move Hines, who is still on the mend from the ACL tear sustained in a jet-ski accident last year, off an injured list in an effort to have him return during the season’s first four weeks.

The Browns finished last season without their top three tackles, with Dawand Jones suffering a major injury as well. Cleveland’s would-be swing tackle did not start camp on the PUP list, representing a rare positive injury development for the AFC North team. Conklin had hoped to return by training camp, but he did not come particularly close. Nevertheless, he will be an option for Week 1. Conklin should probably be expected to line up at his usual right tackle spot, with Stefanski (via The Athletic’s Zac Jackson) stopping short of indicating he would be an option at LT while Wills completes his recovery.

Conklin coming back after his second ACL tear gives the Browns a boost, but Wills needing this much time to return from an MCL issue is obviously a concern. The Browns have used Wills and Conklin as their LT-RT combo since 2020. Wills enters a crucial season, as his rookie contract expires after the 2024 campaign. These issues all come as Deshaun Watson completed a recovery from a shoulder surgery, which kept him off the field during preseason play.

Additionally, Stefanski said Jordan Hicks will return to practice Tuesday. The recent free agency acquisition missed most of this month with an undisclosed injury. Teams do not need to disclose injuries until game week, but the veteran linebacker has a decent chance of debuting for his new team in Week 1.

Latest On Browns’ T Situation

The Browns entered yesterday’s preseason game with starting tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin still on the mend from the injuries which shortened their 2023 campaigns. Several other O-linemen were banged up during the loss to the Vikings, but Cleveland is not seeking out additional depth at this point.

Germain Ifedi suffered a hand injury on Saturday, but head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated he should not miss practice time. That will be the case, however, for James Hudson and Hakeem AdenijiAnkle and knee injuries, respectively, will keep those blockers sidelined for a stretch; Stefanski said Adeniji will be on the shelf for “a little bit of time.” As he continues to rehab an MCL sprain, meanwhile, Wills will not practice this week as he remains on the active/PUP list.

“We feel really good about the people we have in this building,” Stefanski said when speaking about the offensive tackle situation (via the team’s website). “We got guys that are working hard to get back and we’ll just deal with it day to day.”

Wills is on the books for 2024 via his fifth-year option, and a Browns restructure lowered his cap hit for this season. That move set Cleveland up for a dead cap charge of $11.81MM in 2025 if he were to depart in free agency, though, so returning to full health and serving in a first-team role will be critical for team and player. Conklin has three years left on his pact, but no guaranteed salary is in place beyond the coming season. His level of play when back on the field will also be key in determining his financial future.

Stefanski also confirmed that quarterback Deshaun Watson is still on track to suit up for the Browns’ preseason finale. That will mark Watson’s first game action since Week 10 of the 2023 season as he continues to rehab from a season-ending shoulder injury. It will be interesting to see how healthy Cleveland’s offensive line is for that contest and, more importantly, when the regular season begins. For now, an addition should not be expected despite the numerous injury situations the Browns are dealing with.

Browns Place Nick Chubb, Jedrick Wills, Jack Conklin On PUP List

The Browns entered their wild-card game without Nick Chubb and both their starting tackles. Although Deshaun Watson has returned after missing the stretch run, Cleveland remains without its Pro Bowl running back and tackle tandem.

Chubb joined Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin on the Browns’ active/PUP list to open training camp Wednesday. Neither Wills nor Conklin participated in Browns minicamp, working off to the side. Conklin, however, said this month he expected to be a training camp participant. That will not take place at the outset. Chubb is coming off two knee surgeries, making his placement on the camp injured list unsurprising.

Players stationed on the active/PUP list can be activated at any point during camp, as teams do not have to make decisions pertaining to the reserve/PUP list — which sidelines players for at least four games — for a few weeks. Chubb can be considered a candidate for that list, but it would surprise if Conklin or Wills did not return to practice soon. Conklin sustained ACL and MCL tears in Week 1 of last season, while Wills went down with an MCL sprain in December.

Now in a contract year, Wills will need to bounce back to earn a lucrative deal — either via a Browns extension or as a 2025 free agent — after missing nine games last season. Given the nature of the former first-rounder’s injury, it is a bit surprising he remains out of the mix regarding full work. Wills’ MCL issue did lead to surgery, however. The 2020 draftee has started all 53 games he has played in Cleveland, joining Conklin — a 2020 free agency pickup — as the team’s starters in that span.

Conklin, 30 in August, has seen knee injuries play a regular role during his NFL career. He went down midway through the 2018 season with an ACL tear — a setback that contributed to the Titans declining his fifth-year option — and missed 10 Browns games due to a torn patella tendon in 2021. The knee maladies are piling up for Conklin, whom the Browns extended late in the 2022 season. But the former first-round pick is expected to man Cleveland’s RT post again soon.

Given a substantial pay cut this offseason, Chubb is attempting to make his way back from two knee surgeries performed last fall. Chubb did not sustain a full ACL tear, though he did tear an MCL fully, in Week 2 of last season. But the Browns are expected to be cautious with the perennial Pro Bowler. It is not yet known when Chubb will be unleashed this season, and it would not surprise to see the team stash him on the reserve/PUP list. Though, that would create questions at running back for the AFC North club.

In addition to Chubb, the Browns have free agent signing Nyheim Hines rehabbing a major knee injury. The former Colts and Bills RB landed on Cleveland’s active/NFI list, as the injury he sustained while on a jet ski in 2023 has sidelined him for over a year. Hines is aiming for a return during camp. The Browns, who added D’Onta Foreman as RB insurance, also placed DT Dalvin Tomlinson on their active/PUP list with a knee issue. Greg Newsome landed on Cleveland’s active/NFI list with a hamstring injury. Safety D’Anthony Bell is also on the Browns’ PUP list.

NFL Restructures: Mahomes, Chiefs, Allen, Bills, Broncos, Browns, Martin, Cowboys

Completing a Marquise Brown signing after franchise-tagging L’Jarius Sneed, the Chiefs were able to find room due to once again taking advantage of Patrick Mahomes‘ unique contract. Kansas City created $21.6MM in cap space by restructuring the three-time Super Bowl MVP’s contract, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. The Chiefs have gone to this well twice before, making the move in 2021 and 2023 to create cap room. The team reworked Mahomes’ deal in September 2023, following the QB market moving well beyond the Missouri-based superstar’s $45MM AAV, by moving guaranteed money around. But the extension still runs through 2031, giving the team room to maneuver here. Even with the Sneed tag on the books — ahead of a potential trade — the Chiefs hold more than $15MM in cap space as of Friday afternoon.

Here is the latest on the restructure front:

  • After the Bills made a few high-profile cuts last week, they restructured their centerpiece player’s deal this week. Buffalo created $16.7MM in cap space by restructuring Josh Allen‘s deal, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This merely moved Allen’s 2024 cap charge down to $30.4MM. No void years are on Allen’s $43MM-per-year extension, but monster cap numbers in 2026 and ’27 ($63.9MM, $56.9MM) will need to be addressed. Allen’s deal runs through 2028. The Bills also adjusted Dawson Knox‘s contract to create cap space, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
  • The Broncos may be preparing to take the bigger Russell Wilson dead money hit this year as opposed to in 2025. Though, the final number has not yet emerged. The team has created considerable cap space as of late, releasing Justin Simmons and trading Jerry Jeudy. The Broncos also restructured the contracts of 2023 UFA pickups Zach Allen and Ben Powers, per Yates, creating nearly $20MM in cap room.
  • The Cowboys reorganized Zack Martin‘s deal recently, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer, who indicates the move created roughly $13MM in cap space. To end Martin’s holdout last year, Dallas provided considerable guarantees over the final two years of the All-Pro guard’s six-year deal. That contract now features four void years. If the Cowboys do not extend Martin before the 2025 league year, they would be staring at a $24.5MM dead money blow.
  • Jedrick Wills will check in here, even though he is not on a veteran contract. The Browns restructured their left tackle’s fifth-year option, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. The move created more than $10MM in cap space. Cleveland tacked four void years onto Wills’ deal. If the team does not re-sign him before the 2025 league year, it incurs an $11.8MM dead money bill. The Browns also turned to Jerry Jeudy‘s fifth-year option, which the team recently acquired from the Broncos, to create more than $10MM in space, Yates adds. The team likely used the same void years-based structure with the wide receiver’s option.

Browns LT Jedrick Wills Undergoes Surgery, To Miss Rest Of Season

Stationed on IR with an MCL sprain, Jedrick Wills is eligible to be activated. But the Browns will not have their top left tackle available at any point down the stretch.

Rather than making a return from an injury that often leads to seasons pausing but not ending, Wills underwent surgery Tuesday morning, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reports. While this is an arthroscopic procedure, it is slated to sideline the fourth-year blocker for the rest of the season. The Browns have since announced the procedure will keep Wills off the field the rest of the way.

This deals a blow to a Browns team that has been playing without top right tackle Jack Conklin since Week 2. Cleveland also lost fill-in tackle starter Dawand Jones to a season-ending injury as well. Conklin suffered an ACL tear in the Browns’ opener; Jones sustained a knee injury in practice leading up to the team’s Week 14 game. Wills’ status update will continue Cleveland’s uphill battle at tackle.

The Browns started James Hudson and Geron Christian at tackle Sunday. That combination was good enough to propel a now-Joe Flacco-quarterbacked team past the Jaguars, despite Christian arriving as a practice squad pickup on Halloween. A 2018 third-round Washington pick, Christian is on team No. 6. But he has made five starts for the Browns this season. A 2021 fourth-rounder, Hudson has made three this year and 10 during his Browns run. This looks like the combination Cleveland will need to rely on going forward.

One of four tackles who went off the 2020 draft board in the top 13 picks, Wills was selected 10th — behind Andrew Thomas but ahead of Mekhi Becton and Tristan Wirfs. The Browns picked up the Alabama alum’s fifth-year option this offseason, locking him into a $14.1MM salary for 2024. This injury-marred season blunts any momentum the team had hoped Wills would carry into the ’24 offseason, potentially complicating extension talks. The Browns already have three big-ticket contracts along their O-line, having also extended guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller in 2021.

Coming into the season, Wills had never missed more than four games during any of his NFL slates. This gave the Browns some stability at tackle during a period that has involved two severe Conklin injuries. Cleveland gave Conklin a four-year, $60MM extension in December 2022. This points to the Browns running out the Wills-Conklin tandem for a fifth straight season come 2024. Those two will be tabbed to protect Deshaun Watson and likely open run lanes for Nick Chubb. As it stands now, the Browns’ offense is missing cornerstone cogs as it attempts to complement a high-end defense.

Watson and Chubb are done for the year. While Jerome Ford (feat. Kareem Hunt) has been the team’s backfield solution, the Browns are on QB No. 4 in Flacco. Despite not playing for the season’s first three months and being a month away from his 39th birthday, Flacco has played well in two starts with the Browns. The former Super Bowl MVP has done so despite the issues at tackle. While placing an immobile passer behind two backup tackles represents a shaky situation for the Browns, they are atop a jumbled AFC wild-card race at 8-5. The Browns having a solid interior O-line mix (Bitonio-Teller-Ethan Pocic) certainly helps their battered offense’s cause.

Browns To Place LT Jedrick Wills On IR

The Browns earned a lopsided win in Week 9, but it came at a cost on the injury front. Left tackle Jedrick Wills was carted off the field during Cleveland’s win over Arizona, and he will be sidelined for an extended stretch.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday that Wills has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain, an ailment which is not expected to be season-ending. However, the Browns’ blindside protector will be placed on injured reserve. That move will guarantee at least a four-week absence. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero adds that a PCL sprain and bone bruise will set his recovery timeline at roughly six weeks, although Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports surgery is not expected in this case.

Wills had an air cast fitted on his right leg before being taken off the field, a sign his injury would be serious. Further testing has confirmed those fears, and Cleveland will now need to make a change along the O-line. The Browns are already without starting right tackle Jack Conklin, who suffered an ACL tear in Week 1. Fourth-round rookie Dawand Jones has taken over the RT spot in his absence, and another new starter will need to be found opposite him for at least the time being.

Wills, 24, entered the league with major expectations in 2020. The former top-10 pick has been a full-time starter since his arrival, but his performances to date have drawn criticism. In spite of that, the Browns have remained confident in growth by picking up his fifth-year option, a decision which will keep him on the books through 2024. Stefanski endorsed the Alabama product before the start of the 2023 campaign, one in which he has posted a career-worst PFF grade (54). Wills has been charged with three sacks and 29 pressures allowed through eight games this year.

Cleveland’s offensive line – a unit which has for years been seen as a strength for the team – has helped pave the way for the Browns’ effective, Nick Chubb-less running game in 2023. They rank third in the league in rushing yards per game, but another loss among the starting unit up front could deal a blow to that success. Bringing Wills back will use up one of Cleveland’s eight remaining IR activations.

Restructured Contracts: Garoppolo, Bills, Wilson, Reed

Jimmy Garoppolo continues to help the Raiders carve out cap space. After reworking his deal earlier this offseason, the quarterback has once again restructured his deal, per ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).

The move will create $17MM in cap space for the organization, making them cap compliant. As Vince Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes, the team previously converted an $11.25MM signing bonus into base salary, increasing Garoppolo‘s salary from $11.25MM to $22.5MM in the process. Bonsignore assumes the front office did some work today to reduce that newfound 2023 number.

Shortly after Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75MM deal, he underwent surgery to repair the fractured foot he sustained in early December. The Raiders’ first restructuring helped protect the organization in case the QB’s foot injury lingers into the regular season.

More financial notes from around the NFL…

  • The Bills opened a chunk of cap space today. The team opened $4.5MM in cap space by restructuring the contracts of guard Ryan Bates and cornerback Taron Johnson, per Yates. Bates turned into a full-time starter for the Bills in 2022, while Johnson has started 41 games for Buffalo over the past three seasons.
  • Cedrick Wilson Jr. reworked his contract with the Dolphins prior to cutdown day, per Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS. The veteran wideout lowered his base salary to $2MM while receiving a $3MM signing bonus, equaling his $5MM in guarantees from last season. With incentives, Wilson can earn up to $7.25MM on his reworked contract.
  • The Vikings recently reworked the contract of guard Chris Reed, according to ESPN’s Ben Goessling. The offensive lineman’s base salary is now fully guaranteed at $1.165MM, an increase from the $1.4MM ($600K guaranteed) pact he was previously attached to. This was the second time this offseason that Reed agreed to a reworked contract.
  • Browns left tackle Jedrick Wills restructured his deal recently, converting $2.28MM of his base salary into a signing bonus, per Yates. The new deal also has three new void years, opening around $1.8MM in cap space.
  • The Cowboys restructured Neville Gallimore‘s contract, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. The defensive tackle’s salary was reduced from $2.7MM to $1.5MM, and he can now earn $750K via incentives.

Latest On Browns, LT Jedrick Wills

Jedrick Wills has been a mainstay on the Browns’ offensive line since his arrival in the NFL in 2020, operating as a full-time left tackle starter for three years. His performance to date has not lived up to expectations, though, leading to questions about his long-term future with the team.

Cleveland has committed to the former No. 10 pick for the next two seasons, having picked up his fifth-year option for 2024. That decision will earn Wills $14.18MM one year from now, and provide him plenty of further opportunities to play his way into a multi-year extension. Doing so will require a step up in play in the future compared to his first three campaigns, which have yielded middling PFF grades and less-than-stellar evaluations from several observers.

The Browns remain optimistic regarding Wills’ ability to develop into a franchise tackle, however, as noted by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The Alabama product played a full season for the first time in 2022, logging over 1,000 snaps. He was charged with six sacks and 41 pressures allowed by PFF, and committed eight penalties. Those figures have not resulted in a lack of confidence on the team’s part.

“In the moment, in the season, you felt it because he was healthy and was playing well,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said of Wills earlier this offseason. “But as you go back and watch a lot of the tape over and over, he’s doing a nice job in the run game and the pass game. He’s winning his one-on-one matchups. Never perfect because it’s hard to be perfect as a left tackle in this game. But he played well. I really think, if he stays healthy, the trajectory continues to ascend.”

Cabot notes that a Wills extension will likely come no earlier than the 2024 campaign, giving the team at least a full season to evaluate him with Deshaun Watson at the helm. She adds that some speculation has tied Wills to a position change to guard or the right tackle role he had in college while protecting the blindside of southpaw quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Continued usage at left tackle can be expected moving forward, though.

The Browns added a developmental tackle in this year’s draft by selecting Dawand Jones in the fourth round. His likeliest route to playing time is on the right side as an eventual successor to veteran Jack Conklin, however, so plenty of attention and expectations will be directed to Wills this season and next. The degree to which he matches the team’s confidence in him will go a long way in determining their willingness to invest in him beyond 2024.