Exclusive on Browns; Browns Predicted to Trade $20 Million Lineman, Former Top-10 Pick
The tackle positions are a different story, but the middle of the Cleveland Browns offensive line is as good as practically any in the NFL.
Right tackle Jack Conklin, who has struggled to stay on the field in previous years and missed almost the entire 2023 season due to a horrific knee injury suffered in Week 1, is arguably the biggest issue. Though he hasn’t been able to deliver despite his reasonably healthy career in Cleveland, starting left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. isn’t far behind him.
On Thursday, February 15, Matt Wilson of SB Nation’s Dawgs by Nature made a prediction stating that the Browns will find a way to upgrade at the position and move Wills at some time during the offseason.
tween $12M-$14.5M in cap space this offseason by trading Wills, depending on the time in which they move him. That amount of cap savings is a pretty big deal, and the team can most likely find a suitor who’d be willing to give up something like a sixth-round pick for him.
Yes, a sixth-round pick in return for a former first-round selection isn’t ideal, but it might be worth it to the future of the organization if they can free up that much money. [The Browns] could even look into moving [Wills] during the draft in one of their trade packages to move up.
Because of their commitment to Jedrick Wills’ promise, the Browns have extended his tenure.
Wills, the 2020 No. 10 overall selection, recently completed his first four-year rookie deal, which brought his total compensation to $19.7 million. On a $14.2 million one-year team option, he will participate in the 2024 season.
Despite Wills’ erratic and patchy performance in 2022, the Browns exercised that option during the offseason. Due to teams’ initial commitment in them, former top-10 picks usually have more wiggle room than other players. Additionally, parting with one early might be frowned upon by front offices and pose a risk to job security. Nevertheless, it can also be detrimental to hang on too long and refuse to acknowledge a player’s error.
More specifically, and with less generality, Cleveland and general manager Andrew Berry likely hung onto Wills because they were unable to quickly find a better replacement. The organization could have believed that Wills would become more of the player the franchise had thought he would be when they selected him in the first round four years ago if he spent another year under offensive line coach Bill Callahan.
Pro Football Focus ranks Wills 64th out of 81 players that saw enough snaps to qualify at the tackle position in 2023, so he fell short of expectations. Now, Callahan has moved on, joining his son with the Tennessee Titans after leaving Cleveland.
Pro Football Focus ranks Wills 64th out of 81 players that saw enough snaps to qualify at the tackle position in 2023, so he fell short of expectations. Now, Callahan has moved on, joining his son with the Tennessee Titans after leaving Cleveland. Wills is therefore bound by a poor deal that the Browns cannot escape until they give him as a low-risk flier option to a team that is in dire need of an offensive tackle.
