The Chicago Bears did have an amazing season, as showcased by the number-one pick. Still, there are some positives to take away, and one of them has to be Braxton Jones. Braxton Jones was up and down as a rookie, which is to be expected from a fifth-round pick.
Still, he left the season with an overall positive vibe, there were no signs that he hit a wall, and Braxton Jones wound up being the only player to play 100% of the offensive snaps. Considering he was the only player to do that in 2022, it is a tough feat. When you add that he was a rookie and a fifth-round pick, it gets even more impressive.
Chicago Bears may have found a starter in Braxton Jones
Pro Football Reference started to track snaps played data in 2012. Since then, there have been 13 offensive linemen to get drafted outside of the top three rounds, then play over 1,000 offensive snaps. Only six of those players played 100% of the snaps in that season.
The list is below, sorted by snaps played. Some players did have more snaps but did not play 100% of the snaps. Both are impressive.
| Snap Counts | Snap Counts | Snap Counts | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Off% | OffSnp ▼ | Season | Age | Team | G | GS | OffSnp | Off% | DefSnp | Def% | STSnp | ST % | Pos | Draft |
| 1 | Trey Smith | 100.0 | 1195 | 2021 | 22 | KAN | 17 | 17 | 1195 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 86 | 20.1 | RG | 6-226 |
| 2 | David Bakhtiari | 99.7 | 1119 | 2013 | 22 | GNB | 16 | 16 | 1119 | 99.7 | 0 | 0.0 | 80 | 16.5 | LT | 4-109 |
| 3 | Matt Paradis | 100.0 | 1101 | 2015 | 26 | DEN | 16 | 16 | 1101 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 73 | 15.6 | C | 6-207 |
| 4 | Royce Newman | 97.1 | 1084 | 2021 | 24 | GNB | 17 | 16 | 1084 | 97.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 33 | 7.6 | RG | 4-142 |
| 5 | Dan Moore | 92.1 | 1080 | 2021 | 23 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 1080 | 92.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 65 | 13.3 | LT | 4-128 |
| 6 | Russell Bodine | 99.9 | 1063 | 2014 | 22 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 1063 | 99.9 | 0 | 0.0 | 27 | 5.9 | C | 4-111 |
| 7 | Seantrel Henderson | 100.0 | 1061 | 2014 | 22 | BUF | 16 | 16 | 1061 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 70 | 14.9 | RT | 7-237 |
| 8 | Bobby Massie | 100.0 | 1052 | 2012 | 23 | ARI | 16 | 16 | 1052 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 55 | 11.4 | RT | 4-112 |
| 9 | Corey Linsley | 100.0 | 1050 | 2014 | 23 | GNB | 16 | 16 | 1050 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 24 | 5.3 | C | 5-161 |
| 10 | Braxton Jones | 100.0 | 1034 | 2022 | 23 | CHI | 17 | 17 | 1034 | 100.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 61 | 14.0 | OL | 5-168 |
| 11 | T.J. Clemmings | 99.4 | 1014 | 2015 | 24 | MIN | 16 | 16 | 1014 | 99.4 | 0 | 0.0 | 75 | 17.1 | RT | 4-110 |
| 12 | Wes Schweitzer | 99.0 | 1014 | 2017 | 24 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 1014 | 99.0 | 0 | 0.0 | 74 | 17.5 | RG | 6-195 |
| 13 | Jordan Mills | 95.6 | 1011 | 2013 | 23 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 1011 | 95.6 | 0 | 0.0 | 72 | 14.9 | RT | 5-163 |
Chicago Bears fans know Jordan Mills, who barely makes the list. He was a victim of the regime change to Ryan Pace, but he had a decent career in Buffalo after.
Trey Smith, Matt Paradis, Corey Linsley, and Wes Schweitzer are all interior linemen, but are in the middle of, or had great, and long careers.
Massie became a trusted starter, and Bakhtiari obviously became what we know him as. Even Dan Moore is now two seasons into being a full-time starter.
Seantrel Henderson, Russell Bodine, and TJ Clemmings can testify that this is not a lock that the player will be a hit in the NFL. Still, all of these players went into year two as the starters. Beyond that, this list has more multiple-year starters then it does one-year-and-done busts.
It does suggest that the Chicago Bears may have something. It is flat-out hard to not only get on the field but stay on the field for that long, at that status of your career. Those who can make it probably have something that keeps them in the NFL. This is a good sign for the Chicago Bears and Braxton Jones.