Cardinals Sign Big-Name OT After Paris Johnson Jr. Injury

The Arizona Cardinals added a new offensive tackle to the mix, and he's a familiar name across the NFL.

Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (71) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals were initially thought to be counting on depth as a result of Paris Johnson Jr.'s season-ending bicep injury.

On Tuesday, they flipped the script.

The Cardinals, per reports, are signing Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. to their active roster.

From NFL insider Mike Garafolo on X:

"The #AZCardinals are signing OT Jedrick Wills off the #Bills practice squad, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The 10th overall pick in 2020 heads to Arizona after the team lost LT Paris Johnson Jr. for the season."

The #AZCardinals are signing OT Jedrick Wills off the #Bills practice squad, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The 10th overall pick in 2020 heads to Arizona after the team lost LT Paris Johnson Jr. for the season. @SalSports reported Wills was signing elsewhere. AZ it is. pic.twitter.com/SvoKGl9tDg

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 6, 2026

Johnson was just placed on injured reserve today. The Cardinals are 1-3 entering Week 5.

Wills has played five total seasons in the NFL and is 27-years-old. He was initially drafted by the Cleveland Browns as the tenth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He played his first few seasons in Cleveland before not playing at all in 2025 due to rehabbing his knee injury, which was an MCL sprain:

“I injured a couple of ligaments, but usually when people like when they get fell on or something in their knee, they mess up all their ligaments and people can just go in and repair it and they get healthy," Wills said earlier this offseason after signing with the Chicago Bears before being released ahead of final roster cuts.

"I had minimal damage to my ligaments. It was more of an alignment issue from where I got fell on. So they had to actually – it wasn't my knee, they had to go into my femur and do what was called an osteotomy to kind of correct my alignment. So my knee is healthy.”

He previously met with the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions this offseason before signing with Chicago and eventually Buffalo.

Wills signed with the Bills' practice squad ahead of the 2026 regular season. Since the Cardinals signed him directly off another team's practice squad, Wills is guaranteed to be on the 53-man roster for three weeks at minimum per NFL rules.

Wills has played in 58 games with 57 starts under his belt at left tackle. He's played in just 17 games once in his NFL career but when healthy, he's shown that he belongs.

As for the Cardinals, Arizona has seventh-round pick Jayden Williams behind him at left tackle and Josh Fryar on the right side of the offensive line at tackle.

Wills is generally viewed as a strong pass-blocker but struggles in run-blocking.