The Bears got a preseason look at a roster that flashed in spots against the Cleveland Browns, but one of the night’s clearest takeaways came on the offensive line: Jedrick Wills did not help his case.
Chicago’s first exhibition game had the usual preseason caveats attached. The starters sat, the opponent leaned on second- and third-stringers, and it was only Week 1. Still, the game mattered for players trying to carve out roles, and Wills came out of it looking shaky.
The roughest stretch came right before the two-minute warning. Browns DE Julian Okwara beat Wills cleanly and got to Tyson Bagent, even ripping off his helmet in the process.
On the very next snap, Wills was beaten again, and the sequence ended with an interception. For a player trying to secure his place in Chicago, it was the kind of showing that can stick.
That’s a problem for the Bears, who entered the offseason with uncertainty at left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo appears to be their long-term answer, which reduced the need to spend heavily on a stopgap. But the team still needed someone reliable enough to hold the spot down, and Wills was brought in as a low-cost option with plenty of past pedigree.
He arrived with the baggage of an uneven career. Wills was a first-round pick in 2020 and played 58 games, including 57 starts, for the Browns.
But inconsistency has followed him, and he also sat out last season while recovering from a major knee injury. On a one-year deal, he was never guaranteed anything.
The door had seemed open for him because Braxton Jones has also struggled. But after this debut, it looks like Kiran Amegadjie may be the player with the stronger chance to keep Jones on edge, while the starting left tackle job remains out of reach for anyone until Trapilo’s lengthy absence ends.
There’s also a financial angle. According to Over The Cap, the Bears would save $1 million by moving on from Wills. Chicago will still give him more chances to prove himself in the preseason, but after this first outing, he’s already in a difficult spot.
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