Left tackle Wills lost for year after knee surgery
BEREA — The Browns lost their second starting right tackle for the season on Monday. Their left tackle, who was expected back soon, was lost for the season Tuesday.
Jedrick Wills Jr. underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee Tuesday and will missed the remainder of the season. The team confirmed the surgery Tuesday afternoon, shortly after reports of it first appeared.
The team's head physician, James Voos, performed the surgery and "considered it a success," according to the Browns statement, and "a full recovery is expected for the start of the 2024 season."
Wills has been on injured reserve since Nov. 7, two days after he suffered in the initial injury in a Week 9 win over Arizona. At the time, a source told the Beacon Journal it was a high-grade sprain to the MCL, a low-grade sprain to the PCL and bone bruises, but Wills was expected to return before the season ended.
Wills was carted off the field with an air cast on his leg with 11:08 remaining in the third quarter of the Browns' 27-0 win over Arizona on Nov. 5. He sustained the injury when it appeared Arizona's Leki Fotu came in on his knee at about the same time running back Kareem Hunt fell into Wills as he was being tackled at the end of a 1-yard run.
Right tackle Dawand Jones was lost for the season Monday, when head coach Kevin Stefanski announced the rookie was going to have season-ending knee surgery. A source later confirmed it was a torn MCL for the fourth-round pick.
Geron Christian, a sixth-year pro out of the University of Louisville, has started the last five games in Wills' place. Christian was originally signed to the practice squad on Oct. 31, then signed to the 53-man roster on the same day Wills went on injured reserve.
Christian and James Hudson III will once again be the Browns' starting tackles Sunday when they host the Chicago Bears. That combination has already started three games together because of injuries to Wills and Jones.
Wills, a fourth-year former firstround draft pick out of the University of Alabama, is one of three starting offensive tackles the Browns have lost to a knee injury this season. Right tackle Jack Conklin was lost for the season in the opener against the Cincinnati Bengals when he tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee, opening the door for Jones to start before his injury.
The Browns picked up Wills' fifthyear option for next season at a salary of $14.175 million on May 1. They restructured his deal in late August, converting $2.286 million of his base salary for this season into a signing bonus while adding three void years to the back end of the deal.
Wills started all 17 games last season. It was the first time he did so in his career, despite dealing with an ankle injury suffered in a Week 3 win over Pittsburgh and a back issue that flared up in a Week 16 loss to the New Orleans.
Wills was a member of the 2020 NFL All-Rookie team after playing in 15 regular-season and both playoff games for the Browns, while grading out at a 62.6 overall and a career-best 77.6 pass blocking. He played in 98% of the Browns' offensive snaps, but was flagged a career-high 11 times, including eight times for false starts.
A second-year step forward was expected for Wills, who had not played left tackle before getting to the NFL. However, an ankle injury sustained in the 2021 season opener at Kansas City lingered throughout the season, costing him two games.
Wills also missed two games in December of that season due to a COVID outbreak on the team. He played just 90% of the Browns' offensive snaps while appearing in 13 games, yet had a career-best PFF grade of 66.1 overall.