The Chicago Bears will look for their fifth straight win when they travel to face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but there are still a lot of fluid situations with this year’s team. One of the positions has been at left tackle, where Braxton Jones and Ozzy Trapilo failed to seize the job during training camp, and Theo Benedet has stepped in to save the day.
While Benedet got off to a good start in relief of Jones, last week’s performance against the New Orleans Saints raised some doubt. That seemingly opened the door for Jones to regain his starting job after a tough early-season performance, but Benedet had to breathe a sigh of relief when the veteran did not practice on Thursday due to a knee injury, according to the team’s official injury report.
Theo Benedet Faces Crucial Start After Braxton Jones Injury Update
Benedet was a surprise along a rebuilt offensive line for Chicago this offseason. While Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman got most of the headlines (and money), Benedet was in the shadows while Jones and Trapilo battled for the left tackle job in training camp.
When Trapilo struggled and eventually was moved to right tackle, Jones retained his job despite undergoing ankle surgery after suffering a season-ending injury last December. Whether it was a residual effect of the injury or just a poor start, Jones’s performance was not worthy of a starting role, posting a career-low 55.5 Pro Football Focus overall grade and allowing 15 pressures on 126 pass-blocking snaps.
Benedet made his first start in the Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders and struggled with a 35.2 overall grade and three pressures allowed on 41 pass-blocking snaps. But he turned in a much better performance in the Week 6 win over the Washington Commanders with an overall grade of 62.0 and two pressures on 33 pass-blocking snaps.
With a solid performance under his belt, Benedet had a chance to pull away with a strong effort against the Saints. But his 43.2 overall grade and three more pressures on 27 pass-blocking snaps put his job back on the ropes before Jones began to deal with a knee injury. By not practicing on Thursday, there’s a good chance Jones won’t be ready for the Ravens on Sunday, giving Benedet a chance to keep his job.
At this point, it’s probably up to Benedet where the story goes from here. If he plays well, he’ll earn another week at left tackle and could even force Jones out of town ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline. If he doesn’t, the Bears could turn back to Jones and potentially ride him until he gets cold. Whichever decision they make, Chicago would be best served with some continuity as soon as possible, which makes Sunday extremely important if Benedet gets the start.