CLEVELAND — The Browns will be without not one, but two key starters on the offensive line as they kick off the NFL regular season on Sunday.
Both left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. and right tackle Jack Conklin are listed as inactive for the Week 1 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys at Huntington Bank Field. That means James Hudson III will be tasked with protecting quarterback Deshaun Watson's blind side, while second-year standout Dawand Jones will slot in on the right.
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Conklin and Wills have each been dealing with significant injuries suffered during the 2023 campaign, with Conklin missing most of last year with a torn ACL and MCL and Wills undergoing surgery for a torn MCL. Both had been limited in their activities during the preseason, only returning to the practice field in recent weeks.
Wills was already not expected to start this week, and head coach Kevin Stefanski had considered moving the former All-Pro Conklin to left tackle to account for the loss. Instead, with both now sidelined, the Browns will have to rely on a pair of key backups.
Jones, drafted in the fourth round last year out of Ohio State, proved mighty impressive in nine starts as a rookie before going down with his own season-ending injury. He is viewed by most analysts as a future full-time starter on Cleveland's O-line.
On the other side, the Toledo native Hudson is in the final year of his rookie deal after being taken in the fourth round out of Cincinnati in 2021. The 25-year-old has struggled to prove himself at the NFL level, and in 2023 posted one of Pro Football Focus' worst grades among league-wide tackles.