Braxton Jones' Week 1 Task Looks Formidable But How Tough Can It Really Be?

The Bears open their regular season exactly two months from Monday and their offensive line getting exposed right away is being mentioned as a distinct possibility within league circles.

It's left tackle Braxton Jones who would be the source of this potential problem.

Jones would come into training camp the heavy favorite to take back the starting spot he lost last year, largely because he hadn't fully recovered from the previous season's ankle surgery. Jones never got into a groove before being benched, and admitted at Halas Hall this offseason about how weak his play in the second half of games had been because of his lack of strength and conditioning resulting from lack of his normal offseason strength training routine. He was too busy rehabbing to actually get into good playing condition.

NFL.com's Matt Okada has identified the most anticipated debuts of newly acquired players in all of the Week 1 games for 2026, and the player he named for the Bears-Panthers matchup to start the season is Carolina edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who was highly rated by NFL.com among free agents this year. It's Phillips who is going to be lining up against Joines, yet Okada somehow missed this when he pointed to the former Eagles and Dolphins player as the intriguing player to watch.

Braxton Jones struggled last year but feels he's back to pre-ankle surgery strength now. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Gene Chamberlain

"The former Dolphins and Eagles edge rusher was Gregg Rosenthal's No. 2 overall free agent (for NFL.com) and could have a significant impact on the entire Carolina defense, boosting Derrick Brown, Nic Scourton and the rest of the unit," Okada wrote. "Phillips' first challenge: causing trouble for Madden NFL 27 cover athlete Caleb Williams."

Phillips had 63 pressures and NFL NextGen Stats had tracked him at 21 quick pressures, meaning pressure within 2.5 seconds, according to Okada. No mention was made at all of the Bears' shaky left tackle situation.

OT Braxton Jones is re-signing with the Bears on a 1-year deal worth up to $10M, per @JFowlerESPN

As a starter in 2024, he earned an 80.8 pass-blocking grade and a 70.2 run-blocking grade pic.twitter.com/u5gfFBvtT8
— PFF (@PFF) March 9, 2026

Braxton Jones' challenge isn't the toughest

This matchup of Jones and Phillips does appear intriguing but the Bears' offensive line faces more than a decent challenge in this game overall, and Phillips is only a small part of it.

Phillips got a four-year, $120 million deal but he has only 28 sacks in six seasons and has never had a double-digit sack season. His high is 8.5 in his rookie year of 2021.

Jones should be able to do enough to harass Phillips because he's facing a player who creates pressure but rarely seems able to finish plays. If he couldn't make more than two sacks playing eight games for the Eagles with their great defensive line last year, and had five for the year for the Dolphins and Philly combined, then the Bears are more likely to be severely tested elsewhere.

Updated 2026 NFL Offensive Line projected starters and ratings pic.twitter.com/voK04kDNZe
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) July 9, 2026

Phillips had four tackles and a deflected pass facing Ozzy Trapilo last year in the rookie's second career start, and he held Phillips in check after only four days of rest because it was a Black Friday road game. Trapilo had a season graded worse by PFF than Jones' rookie season, and most of Jones' seasons until his ankle injury. Jones should be able to handle this task.

There are other matters at least as pressing for the Bears on offense going against a formidable Carolina lineup. In fact, Phillips isn't even the most productive player the Carolina defense brought in during the offseason.

Linebacker Devin Lloyd is one. He left Jacksonville for Carolina after being graded No. 3 overall among linebackers last year by Pro Football Focus. He had a spectacular season and received a three-year $42 million deal in free agency. Joe Thuney will need to keep him occupied on running plays much of the time.

Devin Bush could bring a new element to the Bears 🐻

His 88.9 PFF grade over the past two years ranks 4th among all LBs 💥 pic.twitter.com/evTDM9czhm
— PFF (@PFF) March 20, 2026

Bears linebacker situation tested

The most intriguing debut of a player with a new team will be Bears linebacker Devin Bush going against Carolina's offense and the running of back Chuba Hubbard, in particular.

The Bears need to see Bush and veteran T.J. Edwards hold up well. The last time they faced Hubbard, he broke off a 38-yard touchdown run and had a 97-yard day. The Bears completely shut down quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Bryce Young and the only real Carolina offense was from Hubbard.

That was in 2024. Last year, Young was said to have come into his own but he still averaged only 6.3 yards per pass attempt with an 87.7 passer rating while his offensive line did an admirable job protecting the passer.

Can Chubba Hubbard rebound OR is Jonathan Brooks the new bell cow? | C3 FRIDAY-FREE-FOR-ALL https://t.co/5J7nBMEffJ
— 👑C3KingCodais (@CodyLac) July 10, 2026

Because the big question for the Bears is actually whether they can stop the run before it is about rushing the passer or protecting their own passer, this matchup of their defensive front and new linebacker Devin Bush is the more important unknown for this game.

Stopping Hubbard and Carolina's running game will be the vital assignment and whether they can do it is the intriguing unknown.

Chuba Hubbard is a top ___ RB in the NFL#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/pGg5I1sIf0
— SleeperPanthers (@SleeperCarolina) July 10, 2026

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