Jedrick Wills
Getty
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 09: Jedrick Wills Jr. #71 of the Cleveland Browns plays against the Los Angeles Chargers at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 09, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears are making things interesting at left tackle, signing former Cleveland Browns 2020 first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. to a one-year deal.
Wills, who missed all of last season due to injury, now has an opportunity to make a name for himself with an open competition for the starting left tackle spot in Chicago.
Ozzy Trapilo, who went down last season with a torn patellar tendon, won’t be ready at the start of next season. Now with Wills in the mix, it’ll be a competition between him, Braxton Jones, and Theo Benedet.
That said, Wills provided an injury update and explained why the Bears are giving him a new opportunity in Chicago.
Chicago Bears
Welcome to Chicago, Jedrick! 🐻⬇️
Jedrick Wills Comments on a New Opportunity
Wills gave some insight on his new opportunity in Chicago:
“Opportunity, they wanted me to have here, have me here on the roster, and they gave me another chance to play, basically just competition,” Wills said. “Coming in and just trying to prove what I can do and see where that takes me.”
Here’s more on what Wills brings to the table:
“Wills started 57-of-58 career games at left tackle over five seasons of action for the Cleveland Browns (2020-24). As a rookie in 2020, Wills earned PFWA All-Rookie Team acknowledgement after starting 15 games at left tackle, helping lead Cleveland to a postseason victory in the AFC Wild Card Round and ranking No. 3 in the NFL in rushing (148.4 yards per game).”
Wills, 6’4″ and 307 lbs, is by no means a perfect player. In fact, he’ll be a project for offensive line coach Dan Roushar to mold. Nonetheless, he brings some potential upside at left tackle.
Wills Provides an Injury Update
Some people may wonder why the Bears would sign someone who hasn’t played since 2024, but according to Wills, he’s healthy now.
“I injured a couple of ligaments, but usually when people … they get fell on or something in their knee, they mess up all their ligaments and people can just go in and repair it and they get healthy. I had minimal damage to my ligaments. It was more of an alignment issue from where I got fell on. So … it wasn’t my knee. They had to go into my femur and do what was called an osteotomy to kind of correct my alignment. So my knee is healthy. It was a matter of just letting that heal and letting my knee get healthy. So it took a little bit longer than just the regular injury, but it’s doing better now.”
The Bears must have also done their homework on Wills and checked all the medicals before signing him. How much Chicago is giving him for one year still has not been announced, but it likely was not a ton of money.
Wills will need to prove he’s healthy, and then prove that he deserves to be the team’s starting left tackle over the rest of the competition. Regardless, the Bears are making sure they have multiple options at one of the most crucial positions on offense.