Former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills is looking to make a comeback.
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Former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills is looking to make a comeback.
Former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills is on the comeback trail after sitting out all of last season.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported on March 5 that Wills has been visiting multiple teams as he looks to resume his career after a year away from football.
“Former Browns OT Jedrick Wills, who sat out last season to fully recover from a knee injury, has been on a tour of visits with NFL teams — including the Patriots and today with the Lions,” Schultz said. “Visits are expected to continue into next week.”
Schultz added that Wills, a former top-10 pick who is just 26 years old, “fully expects to be with an NFL team this season.”
Jedrick Wills’ Turbulent Final Years in Cleveland
The Browns selected Wills with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama, hoping he would be the franchise’s left tackle of the future. He started 45 games over his first three seasons in Cleveland, but his play was inconsistent and his effort was questioned at times.
Things took a turn in 2023 when Wills suffered a knee injury against the Arizona Cardinals and was carted off the field with an air cast on his right leg. He underwent arthroscopic surgery and was shut down for the remainder of the season.
The knee remained an issue in 2024. Wills appeared in just five games and was eventually benched in favor of Dawand Jones before being placed on injured reserve for a second straight year. He also made headlines when he admitted to making a “business decision” to sit out a game against the Baltimore Ravens while managing the injury.
The Browns did not bring Wills back after his fifth-year option expired, and he hit free agency in March 2025.
Wills Sat Out Entire 2025 Season to Get Healthy
Rather than sign with a new team, Wills made the bold decision to sit out the entire 2025 season and focus on getting his knee right. Schultz was the first to report that plan back in June 2025, noting that Wills had drawn interest from multiple teams but believed taking the year off was “the best move for the long-term future of his career.”
Now fully healthy, Wills is making the rounds. The Patriots and Lions are among the teams that have already hosted him for visits, with more expected in the coming days.
For a former top-10 pick still in his mid-20s, Wills represents an intriguing low-risk, high-upside addition for any team willing to bet on his health. However, a return to the Browns seems unlikely, despite the team being in need of some help on the offensive line.
Offensive linemen Ethan Pocic, Wyatt Teller, Cam Robinson, Joel Bitonio and Jack Conklin are all set to hit free agency. The Browns did trade for Tytus Howard from the Houston Texans, giving them a veteran to man one of the tackle spots.
“I’m excited to go to Cleveland and turn the city up and help change the program and win some games,” Howard told KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson.
Cleveland signed Howard to a new three-year, $63 million extension following the move.