Bear Digest

Retaining Bears left tackle spot Job One for healing Braxton Jones

The starting Bears left tackle since 2022 has the difficult task of proving he deserves a contract extension while also healing from a broken ankle.
Gene Chamberlain|
Braxton Jones feels he's getting close to 100% with his injured ankle and should be there by the opener.
Braxton Jones feels he's getting close to 100% with his injured ankle and should be there by the opener. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Chicago Bears Video

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With so much attention focused on the two young tackles competing to take away Braxton Jones' left tackle spot at Bears training camp, something gets largely ignored.

Jones felt he was ascending last season and continuing to improve near the end of his third year, a belief confirmed by his career-best 21st ranking by Pro Football Focus among 140 tackles.

Now Jones is in a contract year coming off a severe injury, the broken ankle he suffered in Week 16 against Detroit, as he tries to retain his job.

“I think right before I actually got injured, I was starting to really come around to some of the things that I wanted to accomplish," Jones said after Thursdays practice at Halas Hall. "I know it was super late in the season, but just confidence. I was really starting to come around and I felt like early in the year–dealing with coming into camp a little late as well–I just didn't have the best start I wanted personally, but that's OK.

"I feel like I was starting to have a better season as the season was going on. Coming into this season, dealing with the injury, that's been my main focus giving whatever I have with the injury that day. If that's 80 percent giving, then 80 percent, if that's 100 percent giving the 100 percent. Taking it day-by-day. I can't look ahead, especially with the injury, I’ve got to be right here in the moment 24/7."

Jones has come out of the injured ankle to practice under the watchful eye of Bears trainer. They gave him a couple of off days so far.

He had lost weight to help take pressure off his ankle but now the team needs him to put on more. He said he's around 300 pounds now but needs to get back to the 305-310 range.

"For me, that was one of the things I wanted to do, just take that load off the leg," Jones said. "But I've been getting back up there as well too. It is definitely a challenge, but it's nothing I haven't done before."

Jones acknowledged his contract year overshadows his recovery process.

"I've had those conversations with my people as well," Jones said. "I think the biggest thing has been getting 100 percent healthy and then being able to show what I can do and what I've always been able to do.

"That's my biggest thing, just staying the course with the injury. If I don't go out there and look right with the injury, then that's that. I feel like going out there, doing everything I can to make sure this injury is healed correctly and looking good, feeling good and it has been. I've just got to put my hat on that and continue working."

If he can secure the starting job, then it will become something to talk about to the Bears.

"I can't be jumping the gun," Jones said. "I’ve got to stay where I'm at. I think about it for sure, but I'm trying to stay as positive and do what I can right now.”

They could be approaching a time when Johnson makes a decision to keep on player in at left tackle with the starters most of the time. So far, they've continued rotating day to day, sometimes changing it up a bit.

"It takes time for the five guys to gel. It does," Johnson said. "That’s been my experience and so the sooner we can identify who those five are going to be, the quicker we will be at our top strength.

"We’ve got to identify who those five guys are first.”

The only spot they're looking at is left tackle, and it's on Jones to impress with his skills rather than his three seasons as a starter.

He's only going to do that if he stays healthy and is 100% ready for the start of the regular season.

"But I would say for right now I’m on track for where I want to be and Week 1 is what I would say," he said. "I’m feeling good and constantly just moving and ramping up."

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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.