One of the areas of uncertainty that remains for the Chicago Bears is what will happen at the left tackle position. Starting LT Ozzy Trapilo suffered a major knee injury during the NFC Wild Card Round, and it remains to be seen when he'll play next season.
For Braxton Jones, it appears that the door is still open to winning the starting role despite the tackle giving up 15 pressures in only 136 pass protection snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He could have his work cut out for him, but it seems that the door is ajar with the latest news making it clear that Chicago is quickly running out of options.
Head coach Ben Johnson recently hinted that the franchise would continue to explore all possible LT upgrades, citing "a lot of uncertainty there," per Yahoo Sports' Chris Kwiecinski. That uncertainty even led some Bears fans to pitch former Detroit Lions tackle and rival blocker Taylor Decker as a potential option.
However, that's something that was just struck down as a possibility, per Lions insider Justin Rogers.
"I will tell you that (Decker is) pretty anti-playing for the Bears or Packers. That’s the Lions background in him. I know Ben Johnson did it and that was the right situation for him, but Taylor feels kind of dirty about the idea. It just isn’t interesting to him."Justin Rogers, Lions Collective
Decker feeling "dirty" about the idea of joining the Bears is great news for Jones, giving him one less body to worry about as potential competition.
Braxton Jones' Offseason Couldn't Be Going Better
As of now, the only concerns for Jones are Jedrick Wills Jr. and Theo Benedet until Trapilo returns.
In other words, Jones has as good a chance as anyone, unless the Bears add more LT competition through this month's draft. Chicago re-signing Jones to a $5 million deal speaks to the fact that the organization hasn't yet given up on him and still wants to give the tackle a chance to return to form.
After all, the 2025 campaign might be an anomaly for Jones. His 62.7 PFF pass-blocking grade was the worst of his career and far from encouraging; however, it was also the first time that mark fell below 70.5, and it comes one year after a career-best 80.8 grade.
No one would blame the Bears for adding another LT when they head to Pittsburgh for the draft in just over two weeks. At the same time, Jones, Wills, and Benedet all have some degree of starting experience, so it'd also be understandable if Chicago were satisfied with the status quo.
Regardless, the stage is being set for Jones to prove his worth to the Bears' coaching staff and front office. If he can show that his 2025 performance was a one-off and that he can still be a reliable starter, the door could open even more for an extended stay in the Windy City.