Jedrick Wills Jr. has endured a curious fifth season with the Cleveland Browns.
Despite being a mainstay of the Browns’ offensive line since being drafted by the team in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Wills has only appeared in five games, including four starts during the 2024 season.
While some of that has been because of injury, there seems to have been more to the story, especially with the former Alabama standout having been benched for the Browns’ Week 9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. On Monday, Wills confirmed as much, telling reporters that he made a “business decision” not to play against the Baltimore Ravens due to injury, which seemingly led to him being benched the following week.
Wills told reporters that he had a brief conversation with Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski regarding the matter, with the two-time NFL Coach of the Year informing the 25-year-old he had been benched. According to Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, Wills said he responded by saying, “OK, that’s fine.”
The Browns selected Wills with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft. After starting 45 games over the course of the first three seasons of his NFL career, he saw his 2023 season limited to eight games due to an MCL injury, which lingered into the start of the 2024 campaign.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.