CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 22: Braxton Jones #70 of the Chicago Bears reacts after an apparent … More
Braxton Jones was drafted by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2022 draft after spending his college career with the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, who play in the Big Sky Conference. He would have been a success if he started one NFL game but somehow enters his fourth season having been a full-time starter since his arrival.
Yet it seems nobody except the forensic analysts who break down game films has ever truly bought into his ability to protect a quarterback’s blind side. After all, how solid can any of the linemen be given the collapsing pockets in front of Caleb Williams and Justin Fields?
To make matters more precarious for Jones, the 310-pound tackle broke his left fibula in gruesome fashion last December, forcing him to be carted off at Soldier Field. He’s first going to have to show he’s healthy when training camp begins, then win back his position.
A three- or possibly four-headed battle for the No. 1 left tackle’s job is among the intriguing storylines that will play out in three exhibition games and shared practices where they will scrimmage with the Dolphins and Bills.
General Manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson overhauled the interior of the offensive line in March by importing Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman and used a second-round pick to select a versatile lineman, the 6-8 Ozzy Trapilo from Boston College. It’s notable they didn’t target the tackle spot more significantly.
That’s a sign they haven’t given up on Jones’ ability to line up opposite right tackle Darnell Wright, a 2023 first-rounder entering his third season.
Jones has consistently received solid grades from Pro Football Focus. He ranked 21st among 81 qualifying tackles in his 12 games last season after ranking 19th as a rookie and 31st in 2023. His 80.8 pass-blocking grade in ’24 was a career high. PFF reports he allowed a pressure on a career-low 6.4 percent of pass plays.
The massive Wright (6-6, 330) was a four-year starter at Tennessee and played more than 1,000 snaps in both of his NFL seasons, missing only one game to injury. He made a notable step forward toward future Pro Bowl consideration in 2024.
PFF graded him 16th among 81 qualifying tackles after ranking him 52nd as a rookie. But Wright’s best trait was run-blocking, which may be why he isn’t immediately being viewed as competition for Jones at left tackle.
With Jones not yet cleared to practice, Johnson and Poles gave both second-year tackle Kiran Amegadjie and Trapilo first-team reps at left tackle this spring. . There’s a clear battle between the two to see who becomes the leading alternate if Jones can’t reclaim his spot.
Amegadjie is listed as 6-5, 326 pounds. He played at Yale, where his junior season was ended early due to surgery to repair a torn tendon in his quad, and was viewed as a project when Poles selected him in the third round of the 2024 draft.
Amegadjie played only a total of 125 snaps in six games last season but has impressed with his off-season work. He seems like a reach as a starter, as PFF ranked him 125th among 130 tackles last season.
Trapilo started at left tackle for Boston College in 2022 but moved to right tackle for his final two seasons. He could be an ideal depth piece on both sides of the line but Johnson is giving him a chance to start at left tackle.
“The cool thing to see is Ozzy, for a guy that’s a young player, he’s really polished in terms of the mental aspect of the game,” Johnson told reporters during OTAs. “We’re looking to key up some things, quicken up his steps, his identification process, and Kiran’s done a nice job for the little bit we’re had him as well.’’
Johnson says he’s “pretty comfortable” keeping Wright on the right side of the line. But if he and his line coaches believe Trapilo has a better chance to succeed on that side they could experiment with Wright on the left side.
“To me, the No. 1 job of an offensive tackle — doesn’t matter right or left — is to pass protect,” Johnson said. “You need to be able to block their best pass rusher one-on-one … We’ve got to find out who the best pass protector is, the most consistent pass protector, and really that’s for all five guys up front.”
Motivation won’t be a problem for Jones when he is cleared to return. He’s been a high-motor player since his days at Southern Utah, and that doesn’t figure to change with him positioned for a lucrative long-term contract if he can retain his position in an upgraded line.
There will be higher-profile position battles in other camps but much of the focus in Chicago is on what’s happening at left tackle. Jones will get first dibs when he returns but the Bears look positioned to move forward if he doesn’t look like himself when he gets back on the field.
