3 Cleveland Browns players entering boom or bust seasons

No. 1: Jedrick Wills Jr., LT

The upcoming 2022 season will be a huge boom or bust year for left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., who is entering his third professional season, all with the Browns.

He was the first pick made under the Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry regime when they drafted him 10th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. Berry elected to go with Wills over Tristin Wirfs, who went on to help the Goat, Tom Brady, win yet another Super Bowl ring.

When Wills was drafted, the Browns were thinking that they have found their next franchise left tackle, following in the massive footsteps left behind by future Hall of Famer, Joe Thomas. Wills has not been a bad protector of the quarterback’s blind spot in his first two seasons, allowing just five sacks.

He was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team after playing in 98 percent of offensive snaps. His biggest issue that year was his penalties. Wills was flagged 11 times; eight false starts and three holding penalties. Last season, he was able to heavily improve in that area, as he was only flagged four times. He had three false starts and 1 holding call. Much better.

What held Wills back last year was a lingering ankle injury. He missed four games and was never quite right. After all, ankle injuries are no joke, especially for a massive human being like Wills. He wasn’t bad by any means, but he wasn’t quite right and you could just tell.

It hasn’t been a great summer for Wills, but nothing that should be worrisome at this time. During a joint practice against the Eagles this week, Wills was called for two penalties during the 11-on-11 portion of practice. This caused Stefanski to pull him and the third-year head coach was not happy with his lineman.

Obviously, Wills will be the starter come Week 1, but he needs to learn from his mistakes and atone for them throughout the rest of camp to gain some momentum heading into the season. If for whatever reason this season gets away from Wills, it could be time for Berry to start thinking of a backup plan.