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Braxton Jones Looks Rebuilt at Bears OTAs and That Could Settle Left Tackle

Braxton Jones is drawing strong praise at Bears OTAs as he looks healthier and more confident, giving Chicago hope its left tackle battle may not drag on long.
Gene Chamberlain|
Braxton Jones' strength and conditioning is impressing teammates after a 2025 when he struggled getting over 2024 surgery.
Braxton Jones' strength and conditioning is impressing teammates after a 2025 when he struggled getting over 2024 surgery. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

It's unlikely to alleviate the great fears about this coming Bears season because it's still only OTAs and non-contact work.

Still, guard Jonah Jackson looks at the two big concerns along the offensive line and sees the kind of progress the Bears need to be an effective group from the outset this year. Bears fans will remember the offensive line struggled in the first few games to run the ball last year until the bye week. Then it all clicked, they finished third in rushing and sixth on offense.

The huge concern was left tackle Braxton Jones after his 2025 was a washout because he hadn't come back yet from his 2024 ankle surgery. It led to Ozzy Trapillo taking the position as a rookie, then suffering a devastating knee injury in the playoffs. Now it's flipped as the injury issue is Trapilo and the Bears see Jones looking more like he looked in 2024 before his ankle injury

“When I got here last year, I think he was coming off some stuff," guard Jonah Jackson said of Jones' ankle surgery recovery. "But this year, he looks like a house. He's moving well. Just in individual (work). We haven't really been able to go one on one yet, but his movement and confidence in what he's doing has been exponentially different from last year.”

Pro Football Focus had tracked Jones at two sacks and 15 pressures allowed in 210 plays over his four games before being shelved for the year. In the previous season PFF had Jones graded 21st of 81 tackles on both sides of the line. So he wqas a player in the top third at this position in the league. He was 33rd in 2023 and broke in as a rookie in 20th, an outstanding start for any lineman. By comparison, Trapilo last year was 39th of 89 tackles, so not as high as Jones was as a rookie or in his two subsequent seasons healthy.

A house named Braxton Jones

If Jones is a "house," it definitely would be good news for Caleb Williams because it's his blind side at stake. Jones is battling with Jedrick Wills Jr., Kiran Amegadjie and Theo Benedet to fill Trapilo's spot, but Wills hasn't worked with the first team in these practices and it's been Amegadjie playing with the second team while Benedet works with backups at right tackle.

Jones is, at the very least, giving himself a head start with this work at OTAs.

"Well, we hope to see a healthier person," coach Ben Johnson said. "Last year at this time he was still getting back into the groove and certainly through training camp, it was a gradual process. We all know in this room that that (left tackle) battle went on for a long time and it took a while before we felt comfortable settling on Ozzy halfway through the season. But different circumstances this year.

"I think he's (Jones) come back and his comfort level has risen just in terms of knowing what to do and how we want to get it done. I think this is the best his body has felt in a while as well. So, we’re really encouraged with where he is at right now.”

The other issue is center Garrett Bradbury replacing retired Drew Dalman. With rookie Logan Jones working at OTAs as the backup, Bradbury is in a familiar role as the bridge center this year to a rookie. He played that role last year for the AFC champion Patriots.

“Yeah, I mean, I feel like having Garrett in there, he's been in the league now for eight years, so a lot of schemes and things he's been around are very similar to what we do," Jackson said. "And he's a smart guy, and Joe (Thuney) had a lot of familiarity with him."

The two were college teammates at North Carolina at one time.

"So knowing that and getting to know him a little more, I feel like it's been pretty easy to gel together," Jackson said.

No cadence problems

Last year they were installing the offense and the cadence became an issue plenty of times at OTAs and training camp. Caleb Williams and Dalman had to work that out. There have been a few false starts at the open sessions of OTAs but nothing serious with Bradbury snapping.

"I said this the other day, like the first week out, just breaking the huddle, it was clean, crisp cadence, everything," Jackson said. "Guys are comfortable with what we're doing, and the scheme and understanding of things is there. The flow of practice has been much easier.”

All of this positive feedback is, of course, tempered by the fact they don't hit or pad up in OTAs.

"We'll know everything when the pads come on," Johnson said. " Right now, to evaluate offensive line and defensive line play is a little bit of fools gold. You always fall in love with some guys in the springtime and then that always changes.

"I am really pleased with the teaching progression. I've been able to sit in some meetings and I love how the coaches are going about their business. I like how the players are responding to it right now. We're all on the same page, we're speaking the same language and that's always a good starting point.”

It's better than when there were false starts and injured players struggling to keep starting spots in battles with rookies.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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