Former Cleveland Browns’ first round pick is ready to make a return to the NFL, and he’s already been connected to a pair of teams

The former Browns’ offensive lineman is looking to get back into the NFL.

Brandon Little — Ohio State Buckeyes & Cleveland Browns News Writer
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The Cleveland Browns must put adequate resources into retooling their offensive line this offseason following a 5-13 campaign where they weren’t good enough up front. 

Cleveland made a noteworthy trade to begin the week to acquire OT Tytus Howard from the Houston Texans for a fifth-round pick. While the Browns are replacing as many as five starters from last year’s offensive line, one of their former starters is looking at a return to the NFL. 

Jedrick Wills Jr. is receiving interest from two teams as he tries to return to the NFL 

According to Jordan Schultz, former Browns first-round pick OT Jedrick Wills Jr. is visiting the New England Patriots on Thursday and is expected to visit the Detroit Lions as well. Wills sat out the 2025 season to get a nagging knee injury fully healthy. 

There’s no reason to expect the Browns to have interest here, but their No. 10 overall pick attempting to make a return is noteworthy. 

Wills played in five games during the 2024 season due to a knee injury that never fully healed from the 2023 season. Wills was limited to eight games during 2023 and 2022 was his only season in which he played all 17 games. 

Cleveland started Wills at left tackle as a rookie in 2020 following his career as a right tackle at Alabama. The former Brown showed promise as a rookie, but inconsistent offensive line play took place the next two seasons for him. 

Wills was never able to show he was consistently good enough to be Cleveland’s franchise tackle before the injuries. Once the injuries started, the writing was on the wall for the Browns to pass on giving Wills a second contract. 

Meeting teams ahead of free agency starting next week is an early start for Wills. He would have to prove he’s able to start again for a team, so expect Wills to sign a one-year deal with a team as depth at some point. 

A pair of teams has already shown interest with the Lions from the NFC and the Patriots from the AFC. It looks like the former Brown is getting close to landing on his feet after a year off. 

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