General manager Ryan Poles went out and signed offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr., and the former No. 10 overall draft pick is ready to compete for the Bears' job at left tackle.
Jedrick Wills Jr. spent the last season away from football, and he learned what life was like without the game.
“It was very boring,” Wills said. "It was very boring, but yeah, definitely changed my perspective on the game. I feel like I missed it more than usual. You know, just being off and not being out there and watching from home was a little bit different.”
Wills spent the last year rehabbing from a significant knee injury. He last played in an NFL game on Nov. 3, 2024, against the Los Angeles Chargers. He played just five snaps and went on injured reserve, missing the rest of the season.
Wills mentioned a couple of ligaments were injured, and surgeons had to perform a femoral osteotomy, a joint-preserving surgery, and went through his femur to help correct his alignment. The 6-foot-5, 307-pound offensive tackle said the injury took a little longer to recover than a normal knee injury, but “it’s doing better now.”
The former No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft said he visited the Bears last week, but didn’t physically work out for them. Instead, that initial meeting focused on Wills’ medicals, meeting with the coaches and going over some film.
The Bears clearly felt comfortable with Wills’ medicals and his football acumen and later signed him to a one-year deal. The veteran offensive tackle joins a Bears team that has an open spot at left tackle, and he is ready to compete for the spot.
“Opportunity, they wanted me to have here, have me here on the roster, and they gave me another chance to play, basically just competition,” Wills said. “Coming in and just trying to prove what I can do and see where that takes me.”
When Wills is at full strength, he highlights his athletic ability and strength, attributes Ben Johnson can utilize in his offense.
“I like to get out in space and move around a little bit,” Wills said. “I think that my pass pro is definitely a strong suit, being able to match with those athletic defensive ends and their speed.”
If Wills can win the starting job at left tackle, he will play next to Joe Thuney, someone Wills is familiar with.
“Yeah, I know Joe Thuney will be a future Hall of Famer,” Wills said. “He's a great guy who's played this game for a long time and, yeah, I'm excited to work with him. His knowledge of the game and his veteranship and how long he's played, I mean, it'll be nothing but positive for the room, I'm sure. So me being able to learn from him will do nothing but help me.”
Although Wills was away from football for a year, he kept tabs on the Bears. He described Johnson as an “energetic coach” who loves the big guys up front. He also said the Bears “turned around this program.”
Wills has a chance to resurrect his career in Chicago and at the same time help the program continue its winning ways.