Bears coach Ben Johnson sees a transformed Braxton Jones, physically enhanced and driven to reignite his career trajectory after an injury.
The Chicago Bears had some major signings this offseason.
The team's biggest moves were safety Coby Bryant, linebacker Devin Bush and defensive lineman Neville Gallimore.
All of those acquisitions addressed some major needs the Bears had entering the offseason. Chicago released linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to create more cap space, and lost safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker in free agency.
Another position that still needs to be addressed is left tackle. Ozzy Trapilo won the starting job in Week 12, but then suffered a season-ending injury in the Wild Card and is expected to be out for most of the 2026 season.
General Manager Ryan Poles' plan for the position became clear with the players that the team decided to re-sign at left tackle. The Bears brought back Theo Benedet and Braxton Jones on short-term deals as placeholders while Trapilo recovers from his injury.
Jones was initially the starting left tackle at the beginning of last season, but was benched in favor of Benedet.
At the NFL Owners Meetings, Ben Johnson spoke to the media and shared that Jones' disappointing season could be tied to the injury the left tackle suffered in 2024. Jones suffered a season-ending ankle injury, and Johnson believed that was why fans saw inconsistent play from him.
Per Kole Noble of A to Z Sports, Johnson said Jones looks like a brand-new man.
“I’m excited about where he’s at right now,” Johnson added. “He came in when he signed the contract, and he looked like a brand new man, as far as I’m concerned. This guy was beefed up; he was probably 310 pounds, and he looked yoked up. I know he’s very determined to get his career trajectory back to where it was before.”
It's clear that Jones isn't going to be the long-term solution at left tackle, but it's great to see from someone who is expected to hold down the position for the majority of 2026.
If Jones can bounce back and have a much better 2026, it could do him a lot of favors, potentially resetting his market value and allowing him to get a better opportunity with a different team.
Trapilo's injury came at a bad time. However, the Boston College product showed a lot of promise in the time that he started for the Bears, and there's still a lot of belief that he is the team's left tackle of the future.
Actions speak louder than words, but Jones seems to be ready for the task at hand.