As the Chicago Bears work their way through OTA practices and eventually get into training camp, one of the most-watched position battles will continue being a huge talking point. It's the left tackle spot.
With Ozzy Trapilo recovering from an injury and putting him out quite a while yet, the Bears figured their best option might be to bring Braxton Jones back, which they did, on a one-year deal. Now, Jones is the presumed favorite to win the starting left tackle gig.
Across the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers are awaiting the return of their prized pass rusher, Micah Parsons, who recently spoke to the media and made one thing abundantly clear: he is going to start the season on the PUP list, making it very obvious his first start of the 2026 season could end up being in Week 5 against ... these Bears.
Braxton Jones can rewrite his Bears story with one game against Micah Parsons and the Packers
Parsons, of course, is coming back from a torn ACL and is going to take every precaution he can in order to lengthen his career and make sure he is back 100 percent healthy when he steps on the field again.
Meanwhile, Jones was almost a forgotten man in Chicago. The left tackle job was essentially Trapilo's going forward. He's a second-round pick from Ben Johnson's first draft with the Bears, and he looked promising before going down with an injury last year.
But now, the Bears had to turn back to Jones.
If Jones doesn't win the left tackle job this summer, then we should be worried. He is the clear front-runner for that spot, and the Bears are going to be the best version of themselves if he is in their starting lineup come Week 1.
Now, on just a one-year contract and very likely not the future in Chicago, Jones could have a huge opportunity to prove he belongs in this league as a starting left tackle. Parsons is going to be more motivated than ever, having not played football in roughly a year and making his first start of the season against a bitter rival.
That's about as good of a story as you can write from Parsons' end, and Jones has a chance to play spoiler.
At that point early on in the season, the Bears very well could be 3-1 with their only loss coming to the Philadelphia Eagles. Heck, let's call it 4-0 since the Eagles were no match for Chicago last year, and that matchup is coming with primetime Caleb Williams.
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The Bears could be riding high with all the momentum, and Jones' role in a win over the Packers would be a loud message to Green Bay if he can keep Parsons' impact minimal.
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