Joel Bitonio On Jedrick Wills: "He's Been Dialed In"
Cleveland Browns guard Joel Bitonio was asked about the team's new projected starting tackles in a conference call on Tuesday.
Bitonio admitted he didn't know much about rookie Jedrick Wills when the Browns drafted him outside of the fact he was aware of the top four tackles in the draft. He got a little information from his agent and found out that Wills had a reputation for being a hard worker. Although he won't truly know until they get onto the field, Bitonio has been pleased with what he's seen from Wills in meetings.
Beyond the fact that Wills is a rookie, he and Bitonio will have to get comfortable working together on the left side of the line. With fewer on-field reps, it will be interesting to see how smoothly that can come together and how much Bitonio will feel compelled to try to help him, since he's already extremely comfortable with J.C. Tretter at center.
Bitonio didn't really talk to Conklin before he signed with the Browns, but he was familiar with his work with the Tennessee Titans. Watching that Titans offense built around running the ball with Derrick Henry, he saw Conklin do a lot of zone blocking. The playoffs where the Titans reached the AFC Championship provided plenty of opportunity for Bitonio to see Conklin play and get a sense for where he excelled.
Conklin has yet to actually get to Cleveland, but Bitonio has been impressed with what he's seen from him in Zoom meetings and getting to know him in their own conversations.
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