Jedrick Wills Jr.'s knee injury the latest tough blow to Cleveland Browns offensive line
CLEVELAND — The Browns offensive linemen had seen enough already. They didn't need to see a reprisal.
During a season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals in September, the Browns had to watch as All-Pro right tackle Jack Conklin was lost for the season to a freakish knee injury. Conklin was simply blocking his man when Bengals defensive end Trey Hendricksen rolled into the back of his knee, causing a tear of the ACL and MCL in his left knee.
In Sunday's 27-0 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Browns had to watch as they potentially lost left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. to a similar injury. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski would only say after the game that Wills will have an MRI on the knee Monday.
However, after losing both Conklin and Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb to knee injuries earlier in the season, it's just another blow to endure.
"Yeah, it's tough," All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio said. "I'm not sure what the extent is. I mean, he was a little bit in pain, obviously on the field, had to get carted off. Hopefully it's not too serious, but it's not good. I mean, we've had him and Jack and Nick — we've had some serious ones this year — and hopefully he can bounce back, but it's hard."
Wills, who had returned to the game in the third quarter after leaving with a different knee injury with 1:18 remaining in the second quarter, sustained an injury similar to Conklin's. With just over 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter, he was engaged blocking Arizona's Jonathan Ledbetter on an inside run play to Kareem Hunt.
Hunt gained a yard before being tackles. However, as he was tackled, he fell into the side of Wills' right knee.
Everyone, from Wills to his teammates, knew it was bad in the moment. It didn't take but a moment for the trainers to bring out both the air cast and the cart for the fourth-year pro.
"He got rolled up on him, and it was just sad," right tackle Dawand Jones said. "That's one of my buddies on the team. That's definitely, I would say, the person I'm closest with or I would say my best friend on the team. So it was just sad to see him go down. My prayers is with him, him and his family. I'm just trying to make sure he, in good spirits, making sure everything all right."
Jones was, in football's "next man up" mentality, the beneficiary when Conklin suffered his injury. The rookie fourth-round pick out of Ohio State stepped into the spot and has started every game since then, despite battling a shoulder injury sustained last week in Seattle and a knee injury at one point early in the third quarter.
Third-year pro James Hudson III is in line immediately to fill Wills' shoes. He has been the Browns' swing tackle throughout the season, filling in here or there.
Now, though, filling in won't just mean for a play or two. However, Hudson, who's started previously in Conklin's place in both 2021 and 2022, said he's prepared for the moment.
"I feel like it is extremely difficult, especially with this time being a second time that we've seen that this year," Hudson said. "So it's unfortunate, man, but coach prepares us well. Coach Callahan and Coach Peters prepares everybody in the room well in case something, God forbid, was to happen like that. So I salute coach for preparing everybody in the room to get ready."
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jedrick Wills Jr.'s knee injury the latest tough blow to Browns line
