![](\"https:\/\/sportsaldente.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Cleveland-Browns-Jedrick-Wills-Jr.-leaves-the-game-following-an-injury-in-the-second-half-of-an-NFL-football-game-against-the-New-York-Giant.webp\")
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Cleveland Browns left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. said his decision to sit out a recent game due to a knee injury, which he described as a \u201cbusiness decision,\u201d may have led to his benching.<\/p>\n
Wills, who had started every game he was healthy for since being drafted in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, was replaced by second-year tackle Dawand Jones. Jones was moved from right tackle to the left side to help improve a Browns offensive line struggling with injuries.<\/p>\n
Wills explained that he chose not to play against Baltimore on October 27 after injuring his left knee\u2014his surgically repaired knee\u2014from a hyperextension in the previous game against Cincinnati.<\/p>\n
However, after the Browns\u2019 win over the Ravens with Jones at left tackle, head coach Kevin Stefanski informed Wills that he would no longer start and would serve as a backup \u201cswing\u201d tackle for the following game against the Chargers.<\/p>\n
Wills was surprised by the decision. \u201cIt was pretty shocking,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, I decided myself. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if the Browns misunderstood his decision to sit out, Wills replied, \u201cI\u2019m not sure. Maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Wills said he understood the situation, he admitted it was frustrating. \u201cI think upset isn\u2019t a good word to use,\u201d he said. \u201cI would say it\u2019s more frustrating. But, I mean, it\u2019s not my decision. I can only do what I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n The Browns may have had their own reasoning behind the change, with Wills in the final year of his rookie contract. At 6-foot-8 and 375 pounds, Jones had performed well in relief of an injured Jack Conklin, and the team may be considering him as the future left tackle. Wills\u2019 contract is valued at $14.175 million, and if he doesn\u2019t re-sign, the Browns could face an $11.8 million cap hit in 2025.<\/p>\n Despite the benching, Wills does not regret his decision to sit out. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t want to go out there and put forth 70% of your effort while you\u2019re injured, and then you have somebody else who can go out there and give 100%,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to be out there the whole time thinking about my knee. I got to focus on my assignment.\u201d<\/p>\n Wills emphasized that his decision had nothing to do with his future with the team. \u201cI don\u2019t think I would play hurt regardless of any time it was in my career,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I\u2019m healthy enough to play, I\u2019ll play. If I\u2019m not healthy enough to play, then I won\u2019t play.\u201d<\/p>\n While it\u2019s unclear if Wills will return to the Browns next season, he said he still enjoys playing in Cleveland. \u201cI like wherever I\u2019m wanted,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know what I mean?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Cleveland Browns left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. said his decision to sit out a recent game due to a knee injury, which he described as a “business decision,”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cleveland-browns"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Cleveland](\"https:\/\/sportsaldente.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Jedrick-Wills-Jr.-in-action-against-Philadelphia-Eagles-defensive-end-Bryce-Huff-during-the-NFL-football-game.webp\")