The Buffalo Bills quietly added a high-profile name to their practice squad on Monday, signing former Cleveland Browns first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. after the Chicago Bears released the veteran tackle on Sunday.
The move was part of a larger wave of 17 practice-squad additions as Buffalo finalized its roster picture following cut-down day.
Wills arrived in the NFL in 2020 as a first-round selection out of Alabama, where he had played right tackle and protected the blind side of left-handed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Cleveland immediately shifted him to left tackle, the more demanding position, and installed him as a starter. Over five seasons with the Browns, he appeared in 58 games, but consistency and durability proved elusive.
A season-ending right-knee injury in Week 9 of 2023 against the Arizona Cardinals kept him off the field for most of Cleveland’s playoff run. The following year he managed only five games and four starts after aggravating the same knee.
Last season Wills remained a free agent, choosing not to sign with a team so he could address the lingering issue. In a March interview he described an osteotomy performed on his femur to correct an alignment problem rather than extensive ligament reconstruction. “My knee is healthy,” he said at the time.
The Bears took a flyer on him this offseason, but he failed to survive final roster cuts after training camp and the preseason.
For Buffalo the signing carries little immediate pressure. The Bills’ offensive line is relatively settled, so Wills is not expected to see regular-season snaps unless injuries strike.
A full year of practice-squad work could nevertheless serve a purpose, giving the 26-year-old a chance to rebuild strength, refine his technique, and position himself as a potential swing tackle in 2027.
The risk, of course, is that another club could sign him off the practice squad to its 53-man roster at any point.
The addition reflects a familiar NFL pattern: a former high draft pick with starting experience but a recent injury history gets a low-cost opportunity to re-establish himself.
Whether Wills can recapture the promise that made him a first-round selection remains an open question, but the Bills have given him a quiet place to try.
