Former Browns first-round draft bust sitting out 2025 until healthy

The Browns used the 10th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to take Jedrick Wills out of Alabama to be their left tackle of the future, a few years after the retirement of franchise legend Joe Thomas. After his fifth-year option was picked up and played out, Wills entered free agency this offseason without a deal and likely in search of a new home.

In a recent change of events, Jordan Schultz reports Wills is sitting out most, if not all, of the 2025 season to get healthy to recover from a lingering knee issue, and get back to 100 percent. Schultz adds that Wills thinks taking time off will be the best for his long-term career, and he mentions Wills has drawn interest from multiple teams.

Jedrick Wills sitting out 2025 until healthy

During his five years with the Browns, Wills started 57 games, including all but five in his first three seasons. While he didn't thrive and live up to his draft status during that span, he graded around the top half of offensive tackles and showed promise that he is capable of starting in this league. His play declined as the years went on, and injuries piled up, which restricted him to just 12 starts over the last two seasons.

The writing has been on the wall that the Browns were not going to bring back Wills in 2025, especially after how the season unfolded. Wills decided against playing in a game this year and called it a "business decision," implying that he was choosing to sit out rather than prove his ability on the field because of his pending free agency.

Numerous factors contributed to Wills' demise in Cleveland. The entire offensive line had a rough 2024 season, and many of them implied the system change with Deshaun Watson at quarterback took them out of their comfort zone and away from their strengths.

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Wills has also dealt with knee issues regularly, as confirmed by his decision to take a year away from the game entirely at 26 years old. On top of all of that, there were times on film where Wills' effort didn't always appear the best, which could be a side-effect of the lingering knee issues, but was a problem nonetheless.

After signing Cornelius Lucas as the swing tackle and retaining veteran Jack Conklin, the Browns no longer have a need for Wills and will instead get a better look at third-year tackle Dawand Jones. The first pick of the Berry era is officially a bust, which hurts even more considering two-time All-Pro Tristan Wirfs went three picks later. It was certainly time to move on from Wills, and the Browns will look to 2026 for a long-term solution if Jones doesn't have a bounce-back season.