Former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills has signed with the Bears.
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Former Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills has signed with the Bears.
Former Cleveland Browns first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. is heading to the Windy City after taking a year off.
Wills will sign a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He had interest from multiple teams.
Wills, 26, sat out the entire 2025 season to recover from a knee injury that had limited him to just 13 games over his final two seasons in Cleveland. He was making the rounds on visits and fully expected to be back on an NFL roster. Chicago is where he lands.
The Bears have a need at left tackle. Starter Ozzy Trapilo is expected to miss most — if not all — of 2026 while recovering from a patellar injury. The Bears re-signed Braxton Jones on a one-year deal, but Wills gives Chicago a former top-10 pick to push that competition.
Wills started 57 games across five seasons with the Browns after being taken 10th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama. Now on a one-year prove-it deal, he’ll have plenty of motivation to rediscover the form that once made him one of the most coveted offensive linemen in his class.
Browns Rebuilding Offensive Line
With four Week 1 starters hitting free agency, the Browns moved aggressively to remake their offensive line under new head coach Todd Monken. Wills was never an option for Cleveland.
The Browns agreed to a three-year, $49.5 million deal with former Los Angeles Chargers guard Zion Johnson to address the interior line. They landed two-time Pro Bowl lineman Elgton Jenkins on a two-year, $24 million deal and re-signed Teven Jenkins. Before free agency opened, Cleveland traded for Texans tackle Tytus Howard to anchor the right side.
“I’m excited for a fresh start,” Howard said. “Being in a city with such a love for football, and just excited to get here and make an impact – especially on the offensive line, to give Shedeur (Sanders), Deshaun (Watson), all these quarterbacks as much time as possible, to make an impact every day and win some games.”
Wide Receivers Still on the Shopping List
The offensive line overhaul has dominated Cleveland’s free agency headlines, but the Browns still have needs elsewhere. Wide receiver is the most glaring gap heading into the draft.
The Browns lack any semblance of depth at the position, and with Monken installing a new offense, adding weapons in the passing game should be next on Andrew Berry’s agenda. Cleveland will likely turn to the draft to address that need.
The Browns have two first-round picks at No. 6 and 24 overall. The Browns have hosted some of the top pass-catchers in the draft class for visits, including Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson.
Browns wide receivers combined for just 1,467 receiving yards for the Browns last season — the fewest in the NFL. Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and Isaiah Bond make up the key pieces of the returning wide receiver corps for the Browns.
Cleveland lost linebacker Devin Bush early in free agency. He signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Bears. The Browns moved quickly to replace Bush by signing Quincy Williams.