The Cleveland Browns benched former first round pick Jedrick Wills in favor of Dawand Jones at left tackle, and he spoke about it with the media for the first time.
And it did not make things better.
Wills stated that he made the decision not to play against the Baltimore Ravens after hyperextending his knee against the Cincinnati Bengals the week before:
“I decided myself that, I made a business decision not to play after the Bengals game going into that Ravens game because I was injured. And then the next week is when I received the news.”
After the Ravens game, Jones was named the starter shortly after.
This more or less summarizes Wills’s time with the Browns. While his rookie season began with promise, the former Alabama national champion never took another step forward. He did the opposite. Year over year it seemed as though Wills lost confidence and regressed.
This has led to many questioning his off-the-field and practice habits and love for the sport. Needless to say, making a “business decision” not to play in a year where free agency status hangs in the balance does not help to calm any of those thoughts.
At this point, it would be shocking to see the Browns re-sign Wills this offseason.