The Buffalo Bills came back down to earth in Week 4, as they suffered a crushing divisional loss at the hands of the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon. The team will look to get back on track in Week 5, but before they can do that, they are going to have to find a way to overcome the loss of a crucial piece of offensive line depth.
Buffalo’s o-line has generally held up quite well to begin the season, but you can never have enough reliable players to fill in at this position. For the Bills, one of those guys was former first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr., who the team stashed on its practice squad. However, he ended up getting stolen from Buffalo on Tuesday afternoon by the Arizona Cardinals.
Cardinals Sign Jedrick Wills Jr. Off of the Bills’ Practice Squad
Wills was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he immediately won their starting left tackle job. In his first three seasons, Wills was a reliable presence at arguably the most important position along the offensive line, and it seemed like he was going to be the team’s long-term answer at that spot.
Instead, Wills has played in just 13 total games over the past three seasons, which includes the 2025 campaign, which he missed the entirety of due to his recovery from a slew of knee procedures he underwent. Over the offseason, Wills signed with the Chicago Bears, but he ended up getting released as part of their final roster cuts.
The Bills decided to take a flier on the former No. 10 overall pick and signed him to their practice squad. Wills hasn’t played at all this season, but if he can get healthy again, he has proven he can be a gamechanger at left tackle. It seems like Wills may have a shot to suit up in his first NFL game in almost two years very soon, as the Cardinals came in and signed him off of the Bills practice squad after losing their starting left tackle, Paris Johnson Jr., to a season-ending bicep injury.
The Arizona Cardinals are signing OT Jedrick Wills off the Bills practice squad, sources tell me and Ian Rapoport,” Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported in a post on X. “The 10th overall pick in 2020 heads to Arizona after the team lost LT Paris Johnson Jr. for the season. Sal Capaccio reported Wills was signing elsewhere. AZ it is.”
Bills Must Find a Replacement for Jedrick Wills Jr.
Wills didn’t play at all for the Bills, so he obviously isn’t a crucial piece of their game plan, but depth along the offensive line is important, and his track record of success more than justified using a practice squad spot on him. Replacing him isn’t going to be easy, as Buffalo will likely have to settle for an offensive lineman with far less experience than Wills.
The good news for the team is that right now, its offensive line is in great shape. Protecting Josh Allen and opening running lanes for James Cook III is crucial for the team’s success, and while it suffered its first loss in Week 4, there’s still reason to believe the Bills are one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the league. Buffalo has another tough matchup on its slate in Week 5, though, as it will square off against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football.
Bills Lose Former 1st-Round Offensive Lineman to Cardinals Ahead of Week 5