The Cleveland Browns have a problem at left tackle and a big one. Former tenth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft Jedrick Wills started his career out as a promising rookie on a playoff team. However, since then his play has not only plateaued but fallen off of a cliff this season. This comes on the heels of giving up another three pressures in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Through just four games, Wills has already surrendered 11 total pressures, one sack, and two hits on the quarterback. For reference, Wills gave up just 15 total pressures in his rookie season and 19 in his second season in the NFL.
Buy Browns TicketsThe Browns picked up his fifth-year option this offseason, guaranteeing him about $15 million in 2024. However, as it currently sits, this is not a viable option for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
The tough reality, however, is that there are not 30 good left tackles in the NFL, let alone enough for every team to have two. And this is what the Browns have to come to terms with. There are no tackles on the open market to come in and plug-and-play.
The options are limited, and the bounds of reality have to be stretched to get here. However, here are a few options, including a couple that may not be all that realistic.
OT James Hudson III
Do you want the most realistic option to get Wills off the field? Bench him and start James Hudson III.
The only issue is that Hudson III has not been great when he has come on the field in relief of players like Jack Conklin and Wills over the past two seasons. His performances in the preseason against second and third-stringers did not do much to instill confidence either.
There is a reason rookie Dawand Jones was named the starting right tackle after the injury to Conklin despite Hudson’s spot-starting experience a year ago. But hey, a change could be a change at this point.
Broncos OT Garett Bolles
The obvious name on the trade market is Denver Broncos’ starting left tackle Garett Bolles. However, Bolles is already 31 years old as he was a rather old rookie out of the University of Utah, and is under contract just through 2024. To add to that, his cap hit in the 2024 season is at $20 million, making the price to acquire him plus the price to pay him a bit much.
A mainstay of the Broncos since he was drafted, Bolles recently expressed his frustration with losing games in Denver. With Sean Payton now at the helm as well, he could be a coach who is looking to bring in all of his guys as well. This Broncos team is not good, and they may begin stockpiling assets.
Some think Bolles is a realistic option, and he is a player the Browns could go out and get still, but this kind of move would stretch Cleveland thin of assets.
Raiders OT Kolton Miller
This lends a hand to a possible rebuild and toward the search for more draft capital at the expense of currently high-paid players on the roster. Like Bolles, however, the cost to acquire Miller would not be a cheap one for the Browns. However, if they were able to add Miller, they would inherit just a cap hit of around $15.6 million per year and a player who is under contract through 2025.
Again, we are scraping the barrel for any realistic tackle options, and the bounds of realism have to be stretched a bit.
The road forward is not optimistic
Here is the reality of the situation: Jedrick Wills is guaranteed about $15 million next season. If the Browns decide to go out and get a Bolles or Miller from a bad team who might be looking to reset, they will have to give up a pretty penny and then try to get Wills off their books so they are not over-invested at left tackle.
Left tackle is a hard position to find, so there is a possibility the Browns could find a taker. I mean, look at what Jawaan Taylor and Andre Dillard just got this offseason.
Reasons for optimism are all but lost with Wills. And to make matters worse, there is no real possibility of getting out of this rut without being financially reckless. The Browns have been careful with their rollover cap because that is how this spending spree is sustainable long-term.
The fiscally responsible thing to do is ride it out with Wills or bench him in favor of James Hudson III, but neither of those provides much of a promising outlook. They have put themselves in a position to compete for a Super Bowl. Every chip is in the middle of the table, so they may have to ask themselves if over-extending on the books this year (which will have repercussions in future years) is worth it to throw in one more chip.
