Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry took the first step in rebuilding the team’s offensive line this week with the trade for offensive tackle Tytus Howard
.There will certainly be more moves coming, likely both in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, as Berry needs to find:
- A new right guard to replace free agent Wyatt Teller.
- Possibly a new left guard if Joel Bitonio retires after 12 seasons with the team.
- Potentially a new center, depending on the recuperative abilities of free agent Ethan Pocic and Luke Wypler.
- Perhaps another new tackle if the team believes it can’t rely on Dawand Jones after three consecutive years of season-ending injuries.
If Berry does turn his gaze back toward offensive tackle, there is a name from the recent past that would send shivers down the spines of Browns fans everywhere, as Jedrick Wills Jr. is back on the market.
A first-round
selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, Berry’s first as general manager, Wills started 15 games for a Cleveland team that made the playoffs. He went on to start 45 games in his first three seasons before injuries started to take their toll.
Wills only played in 13 games his final two years in town, opting to shut it down after appearing in just five games in 2024 after making a “business decision” to rest a lingering knee injury. That did not sit well with the coaches, and Wills was subsequently sidelined in favor of Jones.
Cleveland opted to let Wills test free agency after that season, but he, in turn, decided to take the 2025 season off to let his body heal. That apparently has happened as Wills has reportedly visited with the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots as he eyes a return to the NFL.
Interesting that those were the first two teams reportedly talking with Wills. Detroit offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was with the Browns from 2020 to 2022, so he saw Wills at his best. New England head coach Mike Vrabel, of course, was “in the building” with the Browns in 2024, so he saw Wills at his worst.
But if the Patriots, who just played in the Super Bowl, and the Lions, who continue to have Super Bowl aspirations, are interested in Wills, shouldn’t the Browns be interested, given their acute need at the position?
That would probably be a tougher sell, even with the turnover along the offensive coaching staff since Wills last played for the Browns.
While he got off to a decent-enough start to his career, Wills’ play was on a continuous downward trend after his rookie season. Whether that was due to injuries, a lack of desire, or a combination of both is open to debate. But there is no questioning that his last two seasons with the Browns were memorable for all the wrong reasons.
The Browns are turning the page on offense, starting with the offensive line, so the idea of bringing Wills back, even if some successful teams are talking with him, should be a non-starter if his name comes up in the halls of team headquarters when free agency opens next week.
