Perfect Reclamation Project: Jedrick Wills Joins Bears With Loads Of Untapped Potential
When you know you have a good coaching staff in place, one of the smarter things a team can do is take calculated risks on players who may not have blossomed with their original teams. It doesn’t always work, but there can be times when a player rediscovers what made them great in college. You saw it recently with Meckhi Becton in Philadelphia when they won the Super Bowl. Now it appears the Chicago Bears are taking their own such swing, bringing in free agent Jedrick Wills.
For those who don’t remember, the giant left tackle was a dominating presence for Alabama, winning a national championship in 2017. He drew comparisons to future Hall of Famer Jason Peters, boasting quick, nimble feet, strong hands, and plenty of nastiness. That is why the Cleveland Browns made him the 10th overall pick in the 2020 draft. Things started out well, but after a down year in 2022, he suffered a torn MCL midway through 2023. He then aggravated the injury the following season, which led him to decide to sit out 2025.
Jedrick Wills should be healthy and hungry.
Plenty of things went wrong with his time in Cleveland. The team was marred by poor quarterback decisions and constant upheaval in the coaching staff, despite Kevin Stefanski being in charge the entire time. It felt like relationships soured at some point and Wills chose not to risk his future trying to rush back on what looked like a sinking ship. That proved to be a wise decision. Stefanski was fired and he was free to pick his new home. It isn’t a surprise he chose to sign with the Bears.
They have a vacant left tackle position despite re-signing Braxton Jones. Wills is more than capable of starting in the league. He was more than adequate during his first two years, allowing fewer than 30 total pressures in 2020 and 2021. Then the Browns traded for Deshaun Watson in 2022, and everything went off the rails. Stefanski wasn’t able to run the offense he wanted because of the new quarterback, the same offense Jedrick Wills was meant to play in. Also the offense Johnson runs a variation of.
| Season | Snaps Played | Pressures Allowed | Sacks Allowed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 948 | 20 | 4 |
| 2021 | 781 | 28 | 5 |
| 2022 | 1,114 | 41 | 6 |
| 2023 | 405 | 18 | 2 |
| 2024 | 245 | 11 | 3 |
| Total | 3,248 | 118 | 20 |
The goal ahead is clear.
If the Bears can get Wills even remotely close to the player he was coming out of Alabama, they may have a serious long-term option at left tackle moving forward. He’s only 26 years old. Having Johnson and Dan Roushar as his coaches will be a major benefit as he looks to rebound from that ugly end in Cleveland. The first step will be winning the upcoming competition. Unless the Bears aim to draft someone early, it feels like they’re comfortable letting Wills and Jones battle it out for the job this summer.
It isn’t a bad plan. Sure, the Bears would much rather have landed someone like Trent Williams or Taylor Decker. The unfortunate reality is that both are likely too expensive for the team. Couple that with an awkward spot late in the 1st round, and their chances of landing a franchise-caliber tackle were always limited. Wills is an ideal low-risk, high-reward proposition. If this coaching staff can’t tap into that vast potential, nobody can.