The day after Cleveland left offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. was carted off the field with an air cast on his right leg during a game against the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 5, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said the NFL team expected the former Alabama standout to return this season.

Cleveland placed Wills on injured reserve, which required him to miss four games. But the Browns have played five games without Wills and now will play the rest of the season without him.

Cleveland announced Wills had knee surgery on Monday and won’t be back in 2023.

The day after Wills got hurt Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski said Wills had sustained a medial collateral ligament injury.

“It’s not season-ending,” Stefanski said, “so expect him to work real hard in his rehab and get him back. …

“Jed’s played some really strong games for us. I thought he was playing really well in that last one and yesterday as well. I’m disappointed for him, but I know he’ll work really hard to get back out there.”

The Browns have used Geron Christian at left tackle in the five games that Wills has missed. The six-year NFL veteran had been on Cleveland’s practice squad.

Already on their fourth starting quarterback this season, the Browns got more bad news on offense on Monday when Dawand Jones went on injured reserve with a knee injury. Jones had started nine games at right tackle this season.

Despite the injuries, Cleveland has an 8-5 record and is in the No. 1 wild-card spot in the AFC playoff standings.

The Browns have a home game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, then play the Houston Texans, New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals to complete their regular-season schedule.

Before going down, Wills had played every Cleveland offensive snap this season.

Wills has played in 53 regular-season and two playoff games since joining the Browns as the 10th selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, and he’s started all at left tackle, even though he played right tackle at Alabama.

Cleveland assured Wills would be back in 2024 by picking up its fifth-year option on his four-year rookie contract in May. Wills is guaranteed a $14.175 million salary next season.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.