Geron Christian is heading to Cleveland, per an announcement from his agency. The 28-year-old is a veteran of 59 games and 25 starts at the NFL level. That includes the 2023 campaign, during which he split his time between the Texans and Browns. He made nine starts on the blindside for Cleveland that year, so he will be a familiar option to step into that role down the stretch if need be.
Christian signed with the Rams in September as part of the team’s effort to find healthy O-linemen early in the campaign. He made only one appearance for Los Angeles and, after being elevated for Week 11 but not playing, he reverted back to the Rams’ practice squad. Today’s move will allow the former third-rounder the chance to spend time on an active roster even if it is only in a backup capacity. The Rams are in better shape now than they were at the start of the campaign with respect to tackle depth, but losing a veteran option could prove to be detrimental later in the year.
While Christian will be one option to operate as a left tackle starter as the Browns play out the remaining weeks of the season, another is Jedrick Wills. The former first-rounder has been dealing with a knee injury which has left him in and out of the lineup in 2024. Wills’ struggles when on the field led to his demotion ahead of Week 11, a move which paved the way for Jones to handle starting blindside duties the rest of the way. With that no longer being an option, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal notes Wills could step back into a starting spot if healthy.
The Alabama product was listed as a non-participant in practice for Monday’s estimated injury report ahead of the Browns’ Thursday night game. If his knee is healthy enough to suit up, he could return to the starting lineup ahead of his contract expiring. As a pending free agent, Wills’ future is in question, and Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot writes the team may only be interested in retaining him in a swing tackle role. Wills could find himself with one more stretch of games to play his way into a new Browns deal.
In addition to Wills and Christian, Cleveland has Germain Ifedi as an option to handle the LT spot. Ifedi replaced Jones after his injury on Sunday, and he has started 83 of his 110 NFL appearances. Christian’s return will give the team additional contributors to close out the year, one in which the 2-8 outfit will look to sort out its O-line possibilities for 2025.
