What Kevin Stefanski said and did about Jedrick Wills Jr.’s ‘business decision’ remarks

Stefanski also said that his decision to start Dawand Jones a second straight week at left tackle against the Chargers was not based on Wills tapping himself out of the Ravens game because of the injury.

“(Wills) was battling back from an injury, so it made it simple in my mind with Dawand healthy and Jack (Conklin) healthy,” Stefanski said.

He noted that Jones began taking the starting reps at left tackle on Wednesday of Chargers week because Stefanski had made his decision by then that he’d start there again. Wills was limited on Wednesday and Thursday of that week before participating fully on Friday.

Wills admitted Monday that the news of his benching hit him like a blindside blast.

“It was pretty shocking,” he said. “I decided myself that — I made a business decision — not to play after the Bengals game going into that Ravens game because I was injured. And then the next week is when I received the news.”

He indicated he might’ve asked to be traded by the Nov. 5 deadline, two days after his benching, if he had known sooner.

“There really wasn’t enough time,” he said. “It was more just we were getting ready for that Chargers game. So it was more just like being ready to play.”

He said members of the Browns asked him during Ravens week how he was feeling and “you think that maybe you could make a game-time decision? Stuff like that. But I just ended up being inactive for that.”

He was asked if he was upset by the benching.

“I think upset isn’t a good word to use,” he said. “I would say it’s more frustrating. But, I mean, it’s not my decision. I can only do what I can do.”

Wills, who played on a bad ankle his rookie year when he probably should’ve shut it down, didn’t want to make the same mistake he did back then.

“You wouldn’t want to go out there and put forth 70% of your effort while you’re injured, and then you have somebody else who can go out there and give 100%, you know what I mean?” he said. “I don’t want to be out there the whole time thinking about my knee. I got to focus on my assignment. Like you said, in the past with my ankles, I played and I didn’t play as good, so why would I do the same thing risking a worse knee injury?”

He noted that as far as free agency is concerned in March, “I’m just waiting, looking forward to plan.”

Does he like it here?

“I mean, yeah,” he said. “I’m like wherever I’m wanted, you know what I mean?”