The Chicago Bears are on a three-game win streak and own a 3-2 record heading into Week 7. The early bye week has proven to be beneficial so far, giving the Bears a sense of direction as they traverse the rest of the season and, hopefully, challenge for a playoff spot.
Something that helped the Bears beat the Washington Commanders on Monday was benching left tackle Braxton Jones in favor of Theo Benedet, who seemingly ran away with the starting job. The fact that Jones got replaced in the first place showcases how they view him, and Benedet's performance is likely the beginning of the end of Jones' run in the Windy City.
Braxton Jones’s Run with Bears Seems to over After Week 6
Jones first got benched in the Raiders game for Benedet, and the numbers back up that decision. He had a 55.5 overall grade (73rd among 113 graded tackles), 62.7 pass-blocking grade (51st among 113 graded tackles), and a 47.2 run-blocking grade (102nd among 113 graded tackles) on Pro Football Focus. Jones has allowed 15 pressures with two sacks.
The Bears felt they could get better production with a change-up, and Benedet proved himself immediately by posting a 62.0 overall grade, 69.0 run-blocking grade, and 60.9 pass-blocking grade on Pro Football Focus. It's not a coincidence that Benedet's run blocking grade was the highest of the season for the Bears at left tackle, and Chicago finished with a season-high 145 rushing yards. Running back D'Andre Swift also finished with a season-best 108 rushing yards and 7.7 yards per carry.
It's a bit telling that the Bears and Swift both had their best outings without Jones in the lineup. Head coach Ben Johnson and the coaching staff felt they could have gotten better in that area, and the win over the Commanders, in fact, showed that.
Jones will sit on the bench at this point and serve as a depth option in case an injury happens. The Southern Utah product is in the final year of his rookie contract and is going to hit free agency. Chicago doesn't think he'll be in its future plans, as they decided to replace the former fifth-round pick with a player who has two career starts under his belt now.
Benedet looked good out there and will likely get more comfortable as the season progresses. That's fantastic for Chicago, as it looks like they have a low-cost starter on their hands. Meanwhile, Jones' time with the Bears seems to be heading towards a divorce.