The Chicago Bears used their bye week to reevaluate this team and decided to make some changes along the offensive line. Head coach Ben Johnson spoke with the media on Saturday and revealed that Theo Benedet will start at left tackle in Week 6, according to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
With Benedet starting, that means Braxton Jones was sent to the bench after just four weeks.
Braxton Jones Got Benched in Favor of Theo Benedet
It appeared to be trending in this direction for a couple of days now. During the media session on Oct. 7, Johnson said he had a good idea of who was going to start at left tackle, but didn't release a name. Considering he didn't come out and say Jones was going to remain the starter, the writing was on the wall.
It always looked like the Bears weren't all in on Jones, as they held an open competition at left tackle this summer. While Jones came out the winner after training camp, he struggled immensely to start the year. According to Pro Football Focus, Jones had a 55.0 overall grade (75th among 112 graded tackles), 61.7 pass-blocking grade (57th among 112 graded tackles), and a 47.2 run-blocking grade (101st among 112 graded tackles). He's allowed 15 total pressures and two sacks.
The Bears even benched Jones in the win over the Raiders in favor of Benedet. He didn't play the best in relief, logging a 35.2 overall grade, 36.6 pass-blocking grade, and a 39.8 run-blocking grade on PFF. Nonetheless, Benedet showed plenty of flashes in the preseason. Over 113 snaps this summer, he had a 79.5 overall grade, 77.2 pass-blocking grade, and 76.6 run-blocking grade per PFF.
Chicago is confident in what he can bring to the table, but this change in the lineup could be the beginning of the end for Jones in the Windy City. This is the final year of his rookie deal, and he's slated to hit free agency in March.
With a player looking to land a new deal under this coaching staff, getting benched doesn't bode well. Especially since the Bears also have Ozzy Trapilo waiting in the wings after they drafted him in the second round.
This has probably been the worst start to Jones' career, as he's finished with at least a 68.0 overall grade on PFF from 2022-2024. Chicago will see how Benedet performs in the starting lineup versus Washington on Monday night. If he plays well in this contest, Jones will stay on the bench and serve as a depth piece going forward.