Test of Wills

Bill Callahan took the opportunity to talk about one of his operatives the other day at Browns' training camp in Berea. See if you can figure out who the offensive line coach was talking about.

"I think he's really progressed," Callahan began his assessment. "We came out of last year's film evaluation, the scheme evaluation from the offseason and saw a lot of positive things. We saw steps."

Think about those last three words as you try to figure out who the well-respected position coach was talking about.

"Now," he went on, "we want (him) to be more physical. We want (him) to be . . . more consistent in terms of the finish. We'd like to see that finish become more violent, more physical. I think we're pushing that."

Any guesses? Here's more.

"He's a great kid," Callahan continued. "He takes constructive criticism well. He takes challenges well, so he's up for it. He wants to get better. He's shown that in the offseason and in training camp. He's becoming a more consistent pass protector."

Hint: It's not third-year tackle James Hudson III. One more clue.

"We've added some things to his repertoire in terms of technique," Callahan revealed without getting specific. "We're really hopeful. I know he's challenged to get better and improve because there are some big things out there ahead for him.

At first blush, you might be thinking he was talking about a second-year player who struggled in his rookie season. Nope even though a lot of what he said pointed in that direction. "Really progressed"; "lot of positive things" "we saw steps"; "he wants to get better."

He was talking about Jedrick Wills Jr., the club's starting left tackle for each one of his three professional seasons. Three years in the National Football League and his position coach is talking about him like he's just starting to get it.

He should be talking about Wills' wonderful accomplishments as the second-most important player on offense, successfully switching to the left side after playing his entire career previously on the right side. He can't, though, because it's not true.

Callahan shouldn't be saying, "We saw steps." That's an indictment, as is "we're really hopeful." That kind of talk should have been uttered in Wills' second season, not his fourth. The former first-round choice is either a slow learner or way too nice to play the position as physically and violently as his coach desires.

(At the risk of being repetitious, you wouldn't be reading this had the Browns done the right thing and selected Tristan Wirfs at No. 10 in 2020 instead of Wills. Wirfs has booked three straight Pro Bowl selections with Tampa Bay as Wills works on his learning curve.)

That the Browns picked up Wills' fifth-year option earlier this year was a bit of a stunner. Hard to believe General Manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski sanctioned it. The only consistency Wills has provided in three seasons is playing below-average football on a weekly (weakly?) basis.

Bear all this mind as Deshaun Watson begins his first full season as the face of the franchise in about a month. His health -- and success -- depend heavily on the performance of the five guys in from of him. He must be protected zealously for at least 17 games.

"He wants to get better," Callahan praised Wills' attitude and approach. Not quite right. Wills needs to get better or else 2023 very well could turn out a lot like 2021 and 2022.