In a surprise to no one who had been following the Cleveland Browns' coaching staff and their media availabilities headed into Week 12, left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is listed as out ahead of the team's primetime game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wills has been out since benching himself in Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens with a knee injury. In subsequent weeks, Wills drew ire from media and fans for saying he made a "business decision" to nurse that knee injury, but that comment was allegedly taken out of context by the media according to head coach Kevin Stefanski who came out in defense of Wills.
Wills isn't the only Browns player out for the gloomy Week 12 contest at home. Tight end Geoff Swaim, who was incorporated for a few snaps during Cleveland's Week 11 loss against the New Orleans Saints, is out for Week 12 with a concussion. Swaim has not been getting too much burn since David Njoku has been so good since his return from injury and with Jordan Akins doing a great job in relief of Njoku on certain snaps.
For the Steelers, just two players land as out for the team - Cory Trice Jr. and Alex Highsmith. Trice Jr. is ramping back up into action for the team, so despite a full week of practice, he'll be sitting out against Cleveland's wide receivers. For Highsmith, it's another week of no practice culminating in this designation as he nurses an ankle injury.
Week 12 is feeling pivotal for no reason for the Browns
While this entire week has had a strange feeling of weight on Stefanski's shoulders, it feels absurd to say that the Browns will be locking him out of the facility come Friday morning, so to speak, if the team loses. Stefanski has yet to win a postseason game with the team, but at the same time, has been consistently handed very shoddy rosters and very little flexibility at the quarterback position.
A loss to a divisional rival is always going to feel demoralizing, and one during primetime against a true rival like the Steelers will absolutely sting for the front office and for ownership. However, as long as Cleveland remains competitive throughout the season, losses simply end up feeling like a win-win for everyone - better draft positioning while evaluating the talent you have headed into 2025 to inform your draft and free agency strategy.
Losing Stefanski because you're embarassed after a loss would be a horrendous decision. Even NFL senior writer and insider Adam Schefter shares that sentiment, telling ESPN ahead of Week 12 that he doesn't "quiet understand" where hot seat talk is coming from about the former Coach of the Year.
