It's Groundhog Day...again for the Chicago Bears, as Braxton Jones takes over as the left tackle in the regular season opener.
Jones battled with Kiran Amegadjie, who is now with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Jedrick Wills Jr., who was cut by the Bears, for the starting left tackle job. The Bears once again have selected Jones to be the guy at left tackle.
Braxton Jones has officially been named the Bears starting left tackle
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 8, 2026
This was very similar to how last year went before Jones lost the job to Benedet. Chicago would really prefer it not to happen in the same way it did in 2025.
Bears would love Braxton Jones to get the job done at left tackle
Jones had the left tackle job for about three and a half games in 2025 until Benedet moved into the left tackle spot against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4 and kept it for another two months. Ozzy Trapilo would go on to start at left tackle in November for the rest of the year.
Trapilo's injury in last year's playoffs has the Bears repeating history with Jones starting. In 136 pass-blocking snaps last season, Jones allowed 15 pressures, two quarterback hits, and two sacks. Pro Football Focus gave him a 55.5 overall grade, while also giving him a pass-blocking grade of 62.7 and a run-blocking grade of 47.2.
Jones has quite a bit of work to do to earn the trust of the Bears fan base again. After a whole offseason of a ton of buzz around his work in getting better, this training camp and preseason were considered to be a bit of a disappointment, and he won the job by default.
The hope is that Trapilo can recover and return within the next few weeks. He started practicing in the middle of training camp, but is still a ways away from playing. Chicago is easing him back into playing.
Until then, the Bears will have to roll with Jones, who has plenty of starting experience and can get the job done. He's at least a good temporary option at left tackle until Trapilo is ready to go.
Read more: 4 winners (and 3 losers) from Bears' quiet 2026 offseason
Jones should have a decent showing against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, with only Jaelan Phillips to worry about. If Jones can get the job done against him, his outlook for the 2026 season will look a lot better for Bears fans.
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