Braxton Jones Makes Startling Admission About Darnell Wright

Only three players remain from the Chicago Bears' 2022 offensive line. Cody Whitehair was moved back to center. Teven Jenkins shifted to left guard. That leaves Braxton Jones as the only one actually to keep the original position he played. It is a testament to his performance, especially under such difficult conditions. Going from playing FCS competition at Southern Utah to the best pass rushers in the NFL in the span of a few months must've been quite the shock. The fact Jones somehow survived to play every offensive snap is something to be proud of.

If he could perform that well with minimal preparation for professional speed and complexity, it stands to reason Jones will be far better moving forward. He's had a chance to get stronger through NFL training and has worked with former greats like Olin Kreutz to diversify his hand-fighting techniques. Yet this might not be Jones' greatest asset. That would be his humble attitude. Not having a big ego allows him to recognize learning opportunities. He made that clear with a surprising admission to Matt Lombardo of Heavy.com.

“But, it goes both ways, too. Darnell was a great pass-blocker at Tennessee, and they would really sling the ball around. So, I’ve definitely seen him, and taken some of his techniques away and tried to put it in my game a little bit, too. Obviously, he’s a premier 10th overall pick, so he’s got some tricks and tools that I can take from his game.”

That speaks a lot to Braxton Jones, the person.

He easily could've seen Wright as nothing more than a rookie who had to learn his place. Instead, the Bears tackle saw immediately how proficient the 10th overall pick was in pass protection. This came from years of experience battling the best of the SEC. One could argue Wright has more snaps against NFL talent than Jones does. The Bears left tackle knew coming into this year that his pass protection had to improve, particularly against the bull rush. Nobody in the entire 2023 draft was better at shutting down the bull rush than Wright.

Something like this doesn't happen all the time, but it's been known to. Veterans see a rookie come in who can do certain things they can't. Rather than get annoyed by it, they choose to learn. This benefits not only the individual but the team as well. If Braxton Jones can incorporate some of what makes Wright such an effective blocker, it will turn him into the franchise left tackle the Bears feel he can be. It is becoming easier to see why GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus liked him so much.