The Chicago Bears appear to be getting Braxton Jones back for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions. Jones' return will hopefully allow the Bears to offer Caleb Williams more protection than they did during their loss to the Minnesota Vikings last Monday.
While most fans thought that the drafting of Kiran Amegadjie meant Jones would soon be removed from the Bears' future plans, Amegadjie's rookie season may have solidified how valuable Jones has been.
The rookie from Yale was a disaster in his limited time on the field, allowing one sack and eight pressures overall. He is allowing pressure on 6.7% of his snaps while Jones is at 3.7% this year.
While Amegadjie was expected to be more of a project as a rookie and not expected to see the field, he looks very raw.
Braxton Jones could be a part of the Bears' long-term offensive line.
The Chicago Bears are 2-9 when Jones either does not play or leaves the game early with an injury. It is not like the Bears have some elite record with him playing full-time, but they are 12-25 in the games where they do not have to rely on his backup. That is a 31.5% win rate compared to 18.8%.
Nothing that Amegadijie showed in his limited time on the field this season suggests that he can start next season, and that was not part of the plan.
It also seems likely that a contract extension for Jones wasn't among the possibilities Ryan Poles was considering at the start of the season. If this season has proved anything, it's that Jones does bring value to the Bears' offensive line as a starter. With that in mind, perhaps the Bears entertain the idea of a new contract for Jones after the season.