Bear Digest

Why no one should count Braxton Jones out of Bears tackle battle

Despite fan sentiment favoring a switch at left tackle to rookie Ozzy Trapilo, the Bears still have Braxton Jones and here's why he'll be tough to dislodge when healthy.
Gene Chamberlain|
Braxton Jones shouldn't be counted out yet considering how difficult it is even for the draft's first-round linemen to make rookie impacts.
Braxton Jones shouldn't be counted out yet considering how difficult it is even for the draft's first-round linemen to make rookie impacts. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The rush by fans to get Braxton Jones out of Chicago or out of the starting left tackle spot seems to have begun with Day 2 of the NFL draft, if not earlier.

That's when the Bears selected Ozzy Trapilo. Since then, social media has been flooded with comments praising Trapilo, downgrading Jones' ability and mostly ignoring second-year tackle Kiran Amegadjie. Jones being traded or even cut is being treated like it's a foregone conclusion and it's not.

The Bears looked at Trapilo and Amegadjie throughout the offseason work at left tackle because of Jones' ankle surgery rehab, but make no mistake about what has been said or written: The starting left tackle will be Jones if he is physically able.

To be sure, Jones' status in the final year of a contract lends itself to a trade, but before you trade someone you need to be sure of the replacment. There was twisting and turning of what has been said to media, but offensive line coach Dan Roushar made it all crystal clear.

"I think we all have the vision that if he were healthy, he would be competing as our starting left tackle," Roushar said.

While Roushar admitted there were things Jones would be behind on in training camp after missing the offseason during rehab, he didn't see the rehab as a severe problem.

"He's got to learn our playbook, which he will do, and then let's assume that whenever he's given that green light, is full go, then I expect him to return to where he was," Roushar said. "And then our jobs are to build on what he's done."

Where exactly was Jones when he left off?

According to Pro Football Focus grades, Jones was 21st out of 140 tackles they graded in the league, 17th as a pass blocker. He gave up five sacks while participating on roughly 70% of last season's plays (719).

The chances are very strong that if Trapilo would get the job, he'd play at a lower level in 2025 than Jones did in 2024.

This is not to say Trapilo would fail to eventually be better, but for this season the odds against a rookie second-rounder taken 56th overall coming in at a grade higher than 21st among 140 tackles appear steep.

You can debate all day about the value of PFF grades, but until you can show a better independent system of grading offensive line production that is readily available then PFF is it.

Jones last year was a tackle in the top third of all starting tackles, left or right.

What are the chances of a second-round pick being this good in 2025?

Look back at 2024's draft for an answer. It was an exceptional year for tackles, so it should provide an optimum example.

There were 17 tackles drafted in the first three rounds in 2024 and only nine were even good enough as rookies to play half of their team's snaps.

Of those who played, Joe Alt of the Chargers was the only one who had a higher PFF grade than Jones in 2024.

Alt wasn't a second-round pick or the eighth tackle taken overall like Trapilo. He was the No. 1 offensive lineman drafted and went fifth. Alt earned a grade one spot higher than Jones last year. He also was graded 24th as a pass blocker, and that was seven spots worse than Jones.

Remember what coach Ben Johnson said about left tackle and pass blocking.

"To me, the No. 1 job of an offensive tackle, doesn't matter if it's right or left, is to pass protect," Johnson said. "You need to be able to block their best pass rusher, one on one, and that's, to me, the No. 1 job.

"Everything we can get out of them in the run game will be gravy on top of it, but we have to find out who the best pass-protector is, the most consistent pass-protector is, and, really, that's for all five guys up front."

Last year there were only three tackles selected on Day 2 who played in half of the team's snaps as a rookie starter and those were the Ravens' Roger Rosengarten, the Commanders' Brandon Coleman and the Colts' Matt Goncalves. PFF rated Coleman 63rd out of all 140 tackles, Goncalves 51st and Rosengarten 29th.

Rosengarten was the only tackle taken after Round 1 with comparable numbers to Jones' 2024 season after a phenomenal rookie year. He got in 933 plays and allowed four sacks to earn his overall grade eight spots worse than Jones.

The highest graded 2024 tackle in Round 1 other than Alt was Saints tackle Talise Fuaga, who was selected 14th overall. He was graded 52nd out of 140 linemen, 31 spots below Jones.

Trapilo is going to need to be ready to practice at a very high level if he is going to dislodge Jones in Year 1, provided the ankle injury hasn't lingered.

It was an ankle, not an ACL.

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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.