Jedrick Wills avoids serious ankle injury

The Cleveland Browns received some good news on Monday as left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is day-to-day with an ankle injury.

That is according to head coach Kevin Stefanski, who said that the team will “see how (Wills) progresses throughout the week” as the Browns start preparations for Sunday’s home opener against the Houston Texans, according to clevelandbrowns.com.

Wills was injured in the second quarter while blocking on wide receiver Jarvis Landry’s five-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Wills was able to walk off the field, but then was taken to the locker room on a cart and missed the remainder of the game.

It was the second consecutive game that Wills suffered an injury against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs in January, Wills left just one play into the game after suffering a high ankle sprain and a lateral ankle sprain.

Wills’ return to Arrowhead Stadium did not go much better, at least it sounds as if the injury is not as severe this time.

Veteran Chris Hubbard filled in after Wills went down and will do so again against the Texans if Wills can’t go, Stefanski said.

Hubbard held his own, more or less, as the Browns rushed for 153 yards, averaging 5.9 yards per carry, and the offensive line kept quarterback Baker Mayfield in one piece.

It was a tough spot for Hubbard, but being able to step in during the game is part of why the Browns have him on the roster, center JC Tretter said, according to clevelandbrowns.com:

“I think we handled it well. Chris is a grizzled veteran. He’s been in those situations plenty. The expectation’s that he can step in and play as a starter and play at a high level. We never worry about it when Chris comes into the game because he’s shown time and time again that he can do that.”

While Hubbard is a nice security blanket to have on the bench because of his versatility, the hope is that Wills will not miss a significant amount of time.