Rookie LT Jedrick Wills Jr. held his own against J.J. Watt and the rest of Houston's talented defensive line Sunday, and it was enough to garner some rare, individual recognition among NFL offensive linemen.
Wills is one of five players up for the NFL's Rookie of the Week award. He's the lone O-lineman in a group otherwise full of skill players — Lions RB D'Andre Swift, Bengals WR Tee Higgins, Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and Vikings WR Justin Jefferson.
Since the award's inception in 2002, only three offensive linemen have ever won it.
Fans can vote here, and a winner will be announced Friday. This marks the second time Cleveland has had a rookie nominated, as TE Harrison Bryant was up for the award after his Week 7 performance at Cincinnati.
With Wills helping pave the way, the Browns rushed for 231 yards in Sunday's win over the Texans. Cleveland only got stronger as the game unfolded and amassed a whopping 148 rushing yards in the fourth quarter. Wills also helped QB Baker Mayfield, who was sacked just once, stay relatively clean.
"I thought Jed was good yesterday," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. "He got a bunch of guys in the ground and was straining."
Wills, whom the Browns selected with the No. 10 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, has started all nine games this season.
