Notes: With Jedrick Wills Jr. 'getting close' but still out, team readying options at left tackle

BEREA — Starting left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. may be "getting close," as coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday, but he remained out of practice less than a week before the opener.Jack Conklin, the two-time All-Pro who played left tackle at Michigan State but has been on the right side for his entire eight-year NFL career, and career backup James Hudson III are the options to protect quarterback Deshaun Watson's blindside if Wills can't go vs. the Cowboys on Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Conklin only returned to practice last week following a knee injury in Week 1 last year that required reconstructive surgery but appears to be the choice.Dawand Jones focused on right tackle, building on rookie season, getting ready for string of big-time pass rushers"I don't think we're going to say anything really depth chart-wise," Stefanski said after the practice that followed three days off. "I would just tell you we have options there. We're going to work through our options."Whoever lines up at left tackle in the opener will have his hands full. Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro in three seasons since being the No. 12 pick out of Penn State. He had 13, 13.5 and 14 sacks."No. 11, he's a stud," Pro Bowl right guard Wyatt Teller said. "Very fast, quick guy. He can play any position he wants and make offensive linemen look silly while doing it."Micah has all the intangibles, tangibles. He's a helluva pass rusher."Zone Coverage PodcastTeller has been impressed with the comeback by Conklin, 30, whose anterior cruciate, medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments tore, as well as the meniscus."He's definitely a tough guy," Teller said. "I applaud him for going through what he's gone through. To come back the way that he has, doesn't look like crap when he runs, and that's pretty good."Jack Conklin believes he can still play at high level — at left tackle, too — after latest serious knee injuryWills has started 53 games since he was the No. 10 pick in 2020. He had surgery in December to repair a torn MCL and was expected back by now."I wouldn't call it a setback," Stefanski said. "With any injury that you're rehabbing, you have to just treat it how it's responding and those type of things."He wants to be out here last month. He wants to be out here two months ago, but just going to continue to treat him and make sure that we're doing what is right medically."Cedric Tillman learns from rookie mistakes, expected to make big jump in Year 2The Browns lost Conklin, Wills and right tackle Dawand Jones to season-ending knee injuries a year ago, so the personnel department is well-versed in backup plans."James has played a lot of football, a lot of confidence in James if he needs to play there or whoever Coach puts there," assistant general manager and vice president of player personnel Glenn Cook said. "I think we have players on our roster that can go out on Sunday and perform."OFF THE RADARTeller likes that the Browns aren't a popular pick nationally to win the difficult AFC North and challenge for the Super Bowl."I think it's good. I think that the less people talking about us the better," he said. "I just feel that whenever you're sitting watching TV and it's like, 'Oh, the Browns are going to be great,' then sometimes you think that you've kind of already made it, which isn't a good thing. So low expectations, we'll rise above them."The goals haven't changed."When you're playing in the NFL, you want to play in the Super Bowl," Teller said. "That's in five months. We have to do so much work and get so much better before any of that happens."We haven't won the division since the '80s, in '89. So if we can get back to prominence, then get into the playoffs and maybe make a run. But right now we just got to focus on Game 1."FAIR GAMEWhen the Browns couldn't find a team to trade for quarterback Tyler Huntley last week, he was released. He quickly signed to the practice squad of the Ravens, his former team.Huntley will be able to share Cleveland's new offensive system. The division rivals meet for the first time in Week 8."You're constantly adding and removing players from the roster and sometimes they go to a division foe, sometimes they go to your next opponent or an opponent you play in three weeks," Cook said. "So it happens. We wish Snoop the best. It's a familiar place for him and, you never know, he could be back."LOOKING GOODDorian Thompson-Robinson beat out Huntley for a roster spot with a strong preseason. He's expected to be the No. 3 behind Watson and Jameis Winston, although Stefanski hasn't announced who will be No. 2."Seeing him since May and the development and evolution of his game — that's what you want to see," Cook said of Thompson-Robinson. "Regardless of right now where he is on the depth chart, the growth that he's made on the football field, we're very excited about that."GETTING OLDERA few years ago the Browns were one of the youngest teams in the league. They've become one of the oldest, with 13 players at least 30 years old."That's just a part of it," Cook said. "We try to be intentional about how we build it, but not let one variable play too much into it. We want really good football players, and we understand age is a factor and we try to take that into account."He said the jump in age doesn't reflect an increased sense of urgency."You guys should know we're always urgent, just the way we approach it," Cook said.EXTRA POINTSDefensive tackle Shelby Harris and kicker Dustin Hopkins weren't on the field for practice, but Stefanski said "both will be fine."** Defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson and rookie linebacker Nathaniel "Bookie" Watson returned to practice. Watson had been out since sustaining a quadriceps injury Aug. 10 in the preseason opener. Jefferson didn't practice Thursday.** Receiver David Bell (quadriceps) remained out.** Cook said the Browns didn't put in a claim for any player waived by another team.** Teller's wife, Carly, gave birth to their second child Friday."Virginia Austin Teller. We're going to call her Gigi," Teller said. "Healthy girl. Mama's doing well, she's doing well."The post Notes: With Jedrick Wills Jr. 'getting close' but still out, team readying options at left tackle first appeared on BrownsZone with Scott Petrak.