BEREA, Ohio — There are many questions heading into the Browns Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but one of the biggest is on the frontline of the offense—who will play left tackle?
Starting left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. has not yet practiced this year, but he is still rehabbing the knee injury that ended his season last year in November. Wills was diagnosed with an MCL injury having an arthroscopic procedure on it in December.
Wills was on the sidelines through training camp, working with trainers and other players dealing with injuries. He's done weight and strength training and has been working on the playbook in the classroom while sidelined. But with less than a week until the regular season opens and Wills not yet back at practice, the Browns have to continue their prep for Week 1 in his absence.
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn't say that Wills had a setback in his knee rehab but wouldn't say if Wills would be able to return to practice this week despite being "close."
"He's getting close, so we'll see. But getting close," Stefanski said. "I wouldn't call it a setback. I'd say, with any injury that you're rehabbing, you have to just treat it how it's responding and those type of things. So no, I wouldn't say a specific setback. He wants to be out here last month. He wants to be out here two months ago, but just going to continue to treat him and make sure that we're doing what is right medically."
If Wills cannot practice—or play Sunday—the Browns will need an answer at left tackle. With Jack Conklin back at practice after rehabbing his own knee injury last year and through training camp, his veteran experience gives the team an option to slide him over and start Dawand Jones at right tackle.
It's something Conklin's teammates would be comfortable with, should that be the decision.
“Yeah, Jack has played next to me for, what is it, four years going on five years?" guard Wyatt Teller said. "I know that he's getting out there, getting to move around, stuff like that."
However, that has yet to be decided because the Browns are not announcing standings regarding where the depth chart lies, but it is something the Browns will consider.
"I don't think we're going to say anything really depth chart-wise," Stefanski said. "We're excited to have options at really a bunch of positions. That's certainly one that we'll work through potentially."
The Browns also have the option of James Hudson III on the active roster, with tackles Germain Ifedi, Roy Mbaeteka and Lorenzo Thompson on the practice squad. The depth is something the Browns have learned they needed.
Last year, the Browns offensive line took hit after hit, losing Conklin for the season in Week 1, Wills and Jones for the season later in the year, and seeing a flurry of players, including Joel Bitonio, deal with some injuries that sidelined them.
As they look for health and availability this year, they are more than accustomed to adjusting and relying on contingency plans.
"I definitely think it's important to learn from things like that. I think maybe that's unique to have what 24 guys go on IR? But we definitely stepped back, took a step back, and tried to learn from that experience," said Assistant General Manager Glenn Cook. "Look, you can't prepare for every scenario that's going to happen because something this year will come up that will be unique. But yeah, we try to learn from it and just tweak our approach here and there and have a good foundation just across the roster."
That foundation may have to be tested early into the season, depending on Wills' progression and status in practice this week and come game day on Sunday.
