Browns Rule Out Starting Left Tackle vs. Steelers
The Cleveland Browns ruled offensive tackle Jedrick Wills (knee) for Thursday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland will be without their top two left tackle options, as starter Dawand Jones suffered a season-ending ankle injury last week against the New Orleans Saints, when teammate Wyatt Teller fell on his leg. Jones had started eight games for the Browns this season at tackle, but he was placed on the injured reserve list earlier this week.
Wills was optimistic about playing, “Yeah, just doing what I’m assigned. Whether that’s playing or whether that’s being the swing (tackle).”
Germain Ifedi will likely start at left tackle against Pittsburgh. He will be matched up against Steelers second-year outside linebacker Nick Herbig.
Wills started four games for the Browns at tackle this season. Wills had been the starter for the Browns since 2020, but has been slowed by injuries the last two seasons. He played just eight games in 2023 and five so far this season. He was not dressed last week, when Ifedi replaced Jones.
Ifedi is set to make his first start since 2021. The 30-year-old former first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks, Ifedi has played both guard and tackle in his NFL career, but hasn’t played much lately. His 43 snaps against the Saints were his most in a game since 2021, and he’s never regularly played left tackle before.
When the Browns placed Jones on injured reserve, they signed Geron Christian to their 53-man roster. Christian, 28, started nine games for the Browns last season, all of them at left tackle. He had been with the Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams earlier this season before his release.
Wills will have his hands full with Herbig, who is coming off a standout performance in Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens.
He simply was all over the field. He blew up the Ravens’ potential game-tying 2-point attempt on Lamar Jackson, forced a fumble on Derrick Henry on the first drive of the game and recorded a team-high five pressures, according to Next Gen Stats.
Herbig had been sidelined with a hamstring injury since Week 5, but he immediately made his presence felt in his return against the Ravens on Sunday. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was not surprised by Herbig’s instant impact.
“He’s a big-time player, man,” Tomlin said of Herbig during his Monday press conference. “He’s a young guy, but even in a small sample size, I think we all recognize his play-making capabilities and I think any of us that are around him are not surprised when he makes significant plays, particularly in significant moments, man. He’s got some real role models, and he’s got an awesome work ethic and mindset to boot and so I’m not surprised by it at all.”
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