What Braxton Jones' Minicamp Usage Means for the Chicago Bears

How the Chicago Bears deployed Braxton Jones at minicamp is a very clear indication of where he stands in the left tackle competition.

Chicago Bears offensive lineman Braxton Jones. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears entered the offseason with a huge void to fill at left tackle, and it appears the team may have already decided who will fill it.

Of course, the void comes from the torn patellar tendon that Ozzy Trapilo suffered in last season's playoffs that will leave him on the shelf through the start of the season. It still remains to be seen how far beyond that he'll be out, though.

The Bears are supposedly having a competition between Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadjie, Theo Benedet and Jedrick Wills, but it has been Jones and Jones only getting first-team reps this offseason, including at minicamp.

"Braxton Jones has taken all the first team reps at left tackle this spring, months removed from re-signing with the Bears on a one-year contract," ESPN's Courtney Cronin said.

What this means for Bears

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Jones' usage is a very clear indication he is far and away the leader in the clubhouse going into training camp. In fact, it's possible the Bears have already decided he will start.

At the very least, Cronin agrees that Jones is ahead before the Bears reconvene next month.

"While the Bears won't get to fully evaluate any play in the trenches until the team is in pads, Jones has the inside track to claim the left tackle job in a competition that has also included Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills Jr.," Cronin said.

The expected outcome

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones (70) after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. M. | David Banks-Imagn Images

We've had Jones pegged as the favorite for quite some time now, and it's not hard to see why.

Jones has far more experience than both Amegadjie and Benedet, and he has a much better track record of success than Wills, who also hasn't taken a single snap in an NFL game in over a season.

Lest we forget, Jones was a starting-caliber left tackle before his fibula injury in 2024 and one can certainly make the argument he simply wasn't himself in his first year back from the injury, which led to Jones' struggles and benching.

"I just don't think I was at my best with my injury and mentally it can be a lot," Jones told reporters. "But I'm grateful for that, to be able to look back and see that and realize that I was right there, I just needed to trust what I was in."

Head coach Ben Johnson appears to subscribe to that notion, also.

"Last year at this time he was still getting back into the groove and certainly through training camp, it was a gradual process," he said. "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,"

We'll see if the Bears try to work one or more of the other three tackles into the mix during training camp, but as of right now it looks like the left tackle job is Jones' to lose.