Chicago Bears offensive lineman named among NFL players who need a fresh start

The Chicago Bears completed an offensive line overhaul this offseason, but there could be one more move left for GM Ryan Poles to make.

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The Chicago Bears did the impossible during the 2025 NFL offseason. They flipped the league's worst offensive line into one of the better starting units in the NFC after trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signing center Drew Dalman in free agency.

The Bears also used a high draft pick -- a second-rounder -- on soon-to-be left tackle Ozzy Trapilo, one year after investing a third-round pick in Yale's Kiran Amegadjie.

That leaves incumbent starter Braxton Jones, who's in the middle of a long road back from a fractured ankle suffered last December, as a player whose future is unclear.

As a result, Jones was listed among a cluster of players who need a fresh start in 2025, and who the Bears could use as a trade piece to complete an incredible offseason overhaul.

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"Jones is now entering the final year of his rookie deal and coming off a fractured fibula that he suffered in December," Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski wrote. "The Bears can complete their offensive line overhaul by flipping Jones and getting something in return for him."

Indeed, the Chicago Bears are facing a difficult decision with Jones at the end of the season. It's unlikely GM Ryan Poles will be willing to commit top-of-the-market left-tackle money to him, especially now that he's been banged up over the last couple of seasons and with the draft capital invested into his backups over the last two years.

The determining factor in Jones's eventual fate will be Trapilo, the former Boston College right tackle turned blindside protector. His upside is immense (no pun intended), and if he proves in training camp that his long-term outlook is brighter than anything Jones has flashed so far through three seasons in the league, the Bears won't hesitate to turn the starting job over to their second-rounder.

I highly doubt the Bears would entertain a trade for Jones, especially because of how valuable offensive line depth is. Sure, it's unfortunate that Jones could lose his starting job because of injury, but that's life in the NFL. Plus, Jones's development as a left tackle appears to have hit its ceiling. He's a good player; no doubt about it. But if Trapilo offers more upside in the short and long term, coach Ben Johnson will prioritize team over player -- which could mean Jones' time with the Bears is in its final countdown.

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