The Detroit Lions want to improve their offensive line this season, and their first free agency interest comes from a remarkable source.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Lions are hosting former Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills on a free agency visit on Thursday. According to Schultz, Wills has also met with the Patriots.
Wills is a compelling possibility for the Lions. Wills was picked 10th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft—the second offensive tackle taken behind only Andrew Thomas—and has started 45 games as the Cleveland Browns’ left tackle in his first three seasons. Unfortunately, that is when the injuries began. He suffered an MCL damage midway through 2023 and has experienced issues ever since. He only played eight games in 2023, five in 2024, and decided to sit out the whole 2025 season to recover.
Wills’ performance on the pitch was inconsistent. He was an effective pass blocker in his first several years, prompting Cleveland to use his fifth-year option for the 2024 season. But after the injury, his performance deteriorated. He’s also just decent as a run blocker, never earning a PFF run blocking grade above 61. 7.
However, he emerged from Alabama as one of the more clean candidates. He had excellent productivity with the Crimson Tide (88. 8 PFF grade in 2018, including a 90. 5 run-blocking score), and his 8. 42 RAS score indicated that he possessed the agility to compete at the next level. There might definitely be some unexplored potential there. In May, he will turn 27 years old.
The Lions may have some additional information on Wills, since he worked with new Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing while in Cleveland. Petzing was the tight ends coach from 2020 to 2021 and the quarterbacks coach in 2022.
While Detroit does not require a starter right now, with Taylor Decker announcing that he will return for the 2026 season, coach Dan Campbell stated last week at the NFL Combine that the team still feels the need to acquire a starting-capable tackle regardless of Decker’s decision.
“One way or another, we’re going to need someone who can play over there and assist us if we need them in a crisis or as a starter,” Campbell explained.
Because Wills does not have an expiring contract, he is free to sign with any team he wants, even before the new league year begins on Wednesday.
