Getting benched is never a fun thing for a player, but for Chicago Bears left tackle Braxton Jones, it might have been the gut punch he needed.
Things got off to a rocky start for Jones last season as the Day 1 starter at left tackle until he was benched in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders in favor of Theo Benedet, leading to Jones never stepping on the field again the rest of the 2025 season due to that and an injury. Jones opened up about being benched and how he's actually grateful that it happened.
"I just don't think I was at my best with my injury, and mentally it can be a lot," Jones said via ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "But I'm grateful for that, to be able to look back and see that and realize that I was right there, I just needed to trust what I was in. That's simply all it is. So going back, looking at that, I'm very grateful that it all happened the way I needed, just because it kind of punched me in the face a little bit too, as well, and made me wake up a little bit. Like, I genuinely got to do a lot of things to get better, especially with the injury I was coming back from. So I'm just blessed to have that situation and be able to look a more positive light coming out of it."
Braxton Jones is back with a fresh perspective on things in 2026
Rolling into the 2026 season, the Bears are dealing with a problem at left tackle, as their late-season starter, Ozzy Trapilo, is expected to miss significant time at the start of the year. Jones is competing with Benedet and free agent signing Jedrick Wills Jr. for the left tackle job.
All indications at OTAs are that Jones has the lead for the job and could be holding on to it all the way to the start of the season. This offseason, Bears head coach Ben Johnson has been complimentary towards Jones, which has led many to believe that he has the inside track to win the job in 2026.
Jones has experience as a starter and can do the job, but in recent years, he has not been consistent enough to justify having the job full-time. This offseason, he has been focused on fixing that by pairing with former five-time Pro Bowler Terron Armstead to fill gaps in his game and become the starter the Bears need.
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The Bears are hoping that Jones will run away with the job and possibly maintain it as a full-time gig beyond 2026. Jones knew when he signed his one-year deal with the Bears this offseason that he had something to prove to everyone, and he seems ready for the challenge.
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