Once again, blindside protection was a priority for the Chicago Bears in the early offseason. Free agency is barely underway, and the Bears have already patched things up with a placeholder rather than pursue a long-term solution at the position.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Bears re-signed veteran left tackle Braxton Jones to a one-year deal that can go up to $10 million. Jones' return could put some pressure on Theo Benedet, who was largely seen as LT1 Ozzy Trapilo's de facto replacement.
At the same time, a little competition doesn't mean the end of the world for Benedet.
Theo Benedet Can Still Beat Braxton Jones in Bears' LT Competition
The Bears know that Trapilo will have to miss most — if not all — of next season. They could've gone after big names like Taylor Decker or maybe even Trent Williams, but they chose to run it back with Jones instead. As such, they might be ready to take a competition approach to the starting left tackle spot.
Of course, Benedet is far from a perfect player, but it's not like Jones did much to be the starter last season. If anything, there should be a clean slate, with both players in seemingly equal positions to get the nod.
According to Pro Football Focus, Benedet was on the field for a grand total of 576 snaps. He gave up 26 total pressures, including two sacks and one QB hit on 333 pass-blocking snaps, and he was called for a whopping seven penalties, perhaps the main issue in his game.
He logged a 57.4 overall grade, which ranked 72nd among 89 eligible players. That said, he was much better as a run-blocker, logging a 65.7 grade (45th). Even so, while those numbers are far from impressive, he posted a 95.5% pass blocking efficiency (EFF), an advanced stat that measures pressure per snap.
Jones, on the other hand, played 210 total snaps, all at left tackle. He gave up 15 total pressures, including a couple of QB hits and sacks in just 136 pass-blocking snaps. His PFF grade wasn't much better at 55.5, but he didn't play enough snaps to be eligible, so those should be taken with a grain of salt. His run-block grade (47.2) and EFF (90.5%) were also worse than Benedet's.
The Bears saw quarterback Caleb Williams lead the league in sacks taken as a rookie and went to great lengths that didn't happen in Year 2. As such, they're going to keep whoever gets the left tackle job on a short leash. Even if Benedet doesn't win the starting job in training camp, he'll have multiple opportunities to beat Braxton Jones for it every week.
The Bears will stay committed to Trapilo as their left tackle for the future, but there are no guarantees with players coming from major injuries. Benedet got off to a slow start to his career, but he wouldn't be the first guy to turn the corner after struggling in his first year.