Ben Johnson confirms what every Bears fan already knew about LT position battle

Chicago Bears fans finally get the answer they have been waiting for. That question? Who would be the starting left tackle for the team in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings?

"Yeah, I'll go with Braxton."

Bears head coach Ben Johnson confirmed that Braxton Jones will be the starter at left tackle, following a battle with Ozzy Trapilo and Theo Benedet in training camp. It was an expected outcome as Jones has been taking all the first-team reps with the offense over the last week at practice.

A follow-up question was asked as to whether adding Benedet late in the competition was a motivation for Jones to take over the job. Johnson didn't see it like that.

"I think competition is good for everybody, but you'd have to ask him if it lit a fire under him. I think all these guys are highly competitive as is and highly motivated to come in, do well for themselves, but also for their team. I don't know if that necessarily had to do with it. Like I said, the more reps that Braxton gets, the better off he's going to be."

Jones finally takes the job and now Bears fans wait to see how it goes

It's the job Jones has had with the Bears since 2022, making 40 starts on the offensive line. Last year, he missed five games due to a late-season injury. He finished with a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 77.4, which ranked 21st in the NFL out of 140 tackles.

There have been some concerns with his pass blocking, as Jones had some tough moments in the preseason getting beaten off the line by edge rushers. According to PFF, this was actually the strength of his game, as he had a pass-blocking grade of 80.8 in 2024, the 17th highest grade in the NFL.

The job isn't over yet for Jones, as Johnson has previously said, no matter who won the job, they would be evaluated week-by-week. While Jones has the job for this week, that can change on a dime.

Read more: NFL writer's Week 1 Caleb Williams prediction is music to Bears fans' ears

Jones faces a massive challenge ahead of him, as the Vikings have two of the best edge-rushing duos in the NFL, featuring Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. Can he prevent them from getting to quarterback Caleb Williams?