Tag: jedrick wills

Browns get their starting left tackle back vs. Giants

The offensive line gets one tackle back

As the Cleveland Browns get set to take on the New York Giants in their Week 3 slate, left tackle Jedrick Wills is set to make his return to the field.

Wills, who suffered a knee injury in Week 9 of the 2023 season, missed all of training camp and preseason. That absence extended into the regular season as he has missed the first two games of the 2024 year as well.

NFL Network’s Ian Rappoport is reporting that the former tenth overall pick in the draft will play against the Giants. The degree to which he will play has not been revealed yet, however. Wills just ramped up to a full week of practice this week.

James Hudson III has started the last two games at left tackle for the Browns with varied success. Will the Browns start Wills and play him the full game, or will they look to rotate him and Hudson to ease him back onto the field?

Jedrick Wills working inside the facility on Thursday

It could be a part of his rehab plan as he works back onto the field

Cleveland Browns left tackle Jedrick Wills was not participating at the start of practice according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Wills has already confirmed that he will not be starting on Sunday, but he did not rule out playing against the Dallas Cowboys. He has participated lightly throughout practice this week, but his absence today trends in the wrong direction for playing on Sunday.

The substitutes at left tackle include James Hudson III and projected starting right tackle Jack Conklin. If Jedrick Wills is unable to play this Sunday, expect Conklin to take a majority of the reps at left tackle with Dawand Jones holding down the right side. Conklin, a dominant left tackle, was selected eighth overall by the Tennessee Titans in the NFL Draft. He switched sides to the right tackle position during his rookie season in 2016.

The expectation is that Jedrick Wills can rotate in at the left tackle position with either Hudson III or Conklin being able to support. If either of the tackles performs well in substitution of Wills, expect the Browns to rest him until he is fully healthy.

Browns’ plan at offensive tackle becomes clearer, more complicated

The Browns will be starting Jack Conklin at left tackle.

While left tackle Jedrick Wills has returned to the practice field for the Cleveland Browns as they prepare for the Dallas Cowboys, it has only made their tackle situation a little bit clearer.

Listed as the starting left tackle on the depth chart, Wills has not practiced all summer up until Wednesday. Head coach Kevin Stefanski left the door open for him to play against the Cowboys, stating, “Let’s get through today.” However, Wills himself has confirmed he will not be starting on Sunday afternoon as the Browns take on the Cowboys.

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This, however, does not completely make the offensive tackle situation on Sunday clear. While Wills will not start, meaning Jack Conklin will start at left tackle with Dawand Jones at right tackle, he did not close the door on playing.

Could the Browns be open to a rotation on Sunday as they continue to figure out the best duo of tackles to play this season? This would be unusual for a team to do in the regular season and could disrupt any flow.

Regardless, Wills may still see snaps on Sunday against the Cowboys despite not getting the starting nod after missing all summer after a Week 9 knee surgery a year ago.

Another key player returning to practice with the Cowboys on deck

The Browns now have their offensive line back at full force

The Cleveland Browns continue to get healthy just in time, this time it is left tackle Jedrick Wills who has returned to the practice field as the Dallas Cowboys are now just four days away.

All 53 players on the active roster are scheduled to practice on Wednesday.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski has stated that Wills has a chance to play on Sunday. This is contingent on his ability and availability for the rest of the week. We will get the full injury report later today for the first time in the 2024 season.

With Wills coming back, the Browns have some decisions to make at the offensive tackle position. They currently have three healthy offensive tackles between Wills, Jack Conklin, and Dawand Jones. On their initial depth chart, Jones was listed as the backup with Wills and Conklin listed as the starters.

Who will the Browns roll out along their offensive line on Sunday? It may be a gametime decision.

Jack Conklin preparing to take his first snaps at LT in nearly a decade

Conklin may take his first snap at left tackle in nearly a decade on Sunday

The Cleveland Browns are still without former first round pick Jedrick Wills as their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys approach, leaving Jack Conklin penciled in as the starter.

Conklin, who just returned from the Physically Unable to Perform list last week, has not played since he tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the 2023 season. He spoke to the media and stated he is ready to do whatever it takes to help the Browns win.

An All-Ameican left tackle during his time at Michigan State, Conklin has not played the position since he was drafted in the first round by the Tennessee Titans in the 2016 NFL draft. He has not played left tackle since then, however.

While Wills is off of the PUP list, he has yet to return to practice. Conklin is taking all of the first-team reps at left tackle right now, with Dawand Jones starting at right tackle.

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We will have a better understanding of what his Week 1 status will be by the time Thursday rolls around. However, after missing all of training camp, Wills may need a ramp-up period. This puts his Week 1 status in serious jeopardy.

This means Conklin may just play his first snap at left tackle in nearly a decade on Sunday for the Browns.

Browns still without four key players with Cowboys just six days away

The Browns are still without key starters just six days before their season opener.

As the Cleveland Browns get set to take on the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 1 matchup, they were without a handful of starters in practice on Monday. This included left tackle Jedrick Wills and kicker Dustin Hopkins.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported the following players are not practicing Monday for the Browns in addition to Wills and Hopkins: wide receiver David Bell and defensive tackle Shelby Harris.

As Wills continues his recovery from a knee procedure, Jack Conklin will likely see some work at left tackle in his absence in preparation for Week 1 against Dallas.

Although Hopkins didn’t practice today, Kevin Stefanski mentioned he “will be fine” according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. Hopkins was active in the preseason and remains the only kicker on the roster or practice squad at the moment, so he should be expected to suit up until further notice.

In other good news, Cay Kabot added defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, and linebacker Nathaniel Watson returned to practice Monday. Jefferson signed a one-year deal with the Browns in free agency and will likely be the starting three-technique alongside Dalvin Tomlinson.

Browns rule out flurry of offensive tackles in preseason finale vs. Seahawks

Expect a few offensive tackles to be added to the 90-man roster this week.

The Cleveland Browns continue to struggle at left tackle after the Week 2 preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The offensive tackle woes continued after three of the tackles went down with injuries in the team’s Saturday preseason game. Out of the three who were injured, it appears that Germain Ifedi will be the only one available for the final upcoming preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski shared brief details when describing the extent of both Hudson and Adeniji’s injuries, but we cannot expect to see them this week. Both players were injured on the 91-yard Tyler Huntley interception on the opening drive of the third quarter. Stefanski seems optimistic that both tackles will return at some point this season.

Coach Stefanski also announced that Jedrick Wills will not practice this week before the team’s final preseason game in Seattle. Wills is coming off a torn MCL that required surgery in December and will remain on the Physically Unable to Perform list as the team approaches week 1 vs the Dallas Cowboys.

Browns O-line ranks highly in the latest rankings by Establish the Run

The Cleveland Browns offensive line was ranked inside the top 3 by Brandon Thorn for Establish the Run heading into the 2024 NFL season

The offensive line of the Cleveland Browns continues to receive high praise heading into the NFL season. Brandon Thorn of Trench Warfare ranked all 32 offensive line units ahead of the season for Establish the Run. 

Thorn believes the Browns have the third-best offensive line in football. Thorn acknowledges that the loss of Bill Callahan may negatively affect the team, but he believes that the consistency on the offensive line will compensate for Callahan’s loss.

New offensive line coach Andy Dickerson is a good coach. He interviewed for the offensive coordinator job before he was hired as the line coach. Dickerson teaches the independent hand-striking technique that former Browns coaches Scott Peters and Callahan created. Dickerson is a competent coach who will do a good job replacing Callahan.

Thorn has Jack Conklin as the projected right tackle going into the season. The former All-Pro tackle has been battling through injuries over the last few years that have limited his playing time. Conklin started training camp on the PUP list. Starting left tackle, Jed Wills is also listed on the PUP list as he recovers from his torn MCL last year.

The Browns found an excellent replacement for Conklin in Dawand Jones. Jones was fantastic in his rookie year before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Both tackles look healthy before the start of the season and their battle to start will be an exciting showdown.

The Browns offensive line will guide the team to success by providing consistency to an offense that relies on variance.

The Cleveland Browns should extend OT Jedrick Wills before start of 2024 season

The Cleveland Browns need to extend Jedrick Wills before they risk losing the talented, young OT.

Former Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Jedrick Wills Jr. is set to return to action in the 2024 NFL season after suffering a torn MCL late in the 2023 season. The No. 10 overall selection from the 2020 NFL draft has been one of the best young linemen in the league since he joined the Cleveland Browns.

Wills is nearing the end of his rookie contract and recently received a restructured deal from the team to impact the franchise’s cap room. However, he is due for an extension, unless the Browns went to run the risk of losing him to free agency soon.

ESPN NFL writer Aaron Schatz recently broke down one move every NFL team should make before the start of the 2024 regular season (subscription required). He argues that Cleveland’s front office should move quickly to secure Wills for future seasons.

“Wills’ contract was restructured this offseason to give the Browns some cap room, and it now has a bunch of void years tossed onto the end of it. But effectively, the Browns will lose their left tackle after 2024 without giving him a new deal. Yes, Wills is coming off a torn MCL, but he has been one of the top young tackles in the league. Last season, he ranked eighth among tackles in pass block win rate (92.4%).”

Offensive linemen don’t have flashy stats or highlight-worthy plays, but, as Schatz mentions, Wills has been successful in pass protection, ranking among the elites of the NFL.

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ESPN gives questionable ‘final move’ the Browns should make before training camp

Maybe let this one play out first.

The Cleveland Browns enter the dead period of their offseason after a successful free agency, NFL draft, and minicamp this Spring and into early summer. They, however, have been without starting left tackle Jedrick Wills throughout this time as he recovers from a torn MCL from a year ago.

This does not stop ESPN’s Aaron Schatz from naming Wills as a player the Browns should be seeking to give a contract extension to. Schatz called an extension for the former first round pick as the final move the Browns need to make before training camp.

Schatz had this to say about the former 10th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft:

“Yes, Wills is coming off a torn MCL, but he has been one of the top young tackles in the league. Last season, he ranked eighth among tackles in pass block win rate (92.4%).”

Anybody who has watched Browns football over the past four seasons knows that Wills has been a beacon of inconsistency after a solid rookie season in Cleveland. He will go through stretches of excellent pass protection followed by stretches of mental lapses that cost his team chunks of yardage at a time.

While the Browns restructured his deal this offseason to clear cap space, there is an inkling that if they wanted to get a long-term deal done with Wills it would have been done by now.