Ben Johnson has plans for the Chicago Bears offense. To execute those plans, he needs the right players. The team has already addressed multiple positions on the roster, specifically the offensive line, with three new starters along the interior. What people don't know is if Johnson may shoot for a fourth. Left tackle is a source of debate among fans and media looking towards the draft. Braxton Jones concluded a frustrating season in 2024 by breaking his ankle. Recovering from that and knowing that his contract only has one year left puts the Bears in an interesting spot.
They hold the 10th pick in the draft, giving them a solid opportunity to find a long-term replacement at left tackle. Adding intrigue were recent comments from Johnson at the NFL Owners Meetings. He remained complimentary of Jones, believing he's good enough to be a left tackle in this league. However, he admitted that the lineman's injury will keep him limited to start training camp. In addition, the team appears to consider him somewhat underweight for the offense they plan to implement.
"The number one thing in my opinion that tackles need to do is pass protect. I think he's got the feet to get that done. We're going to challenge him to maybe gain a little bit more weight so that he can anchor a little bit better in pass pro. But everything I've seen so far has shown a phenomenal athlete out there on the edge that we feel like we can work with."
Johnson sounds open to riding with Braxton Jones.
Obviously, this could all be a careful smokescreen to mask the Bears' intentions to draft a top tackle. That said, if taken at face value, Johnson doesn't seem overly nervous about going with Jones for this season. He's been a solid player when healthy over the past few years. The only lingering concern was what the head coach mentioned. His anchor in pass protection has been inconsistent at best. The truth is the Bears don't have any clear upgrade in this draft. Will Campbell of LSU, Armand Membou of Missouri, Josh Simmons of Ohio State, and Kelvin Banks of Texas all have talent.
They also have red flags.
Campbell has some of the shortest arms of any tackle in the draft. Membou has never played left tackle. Simmons tore his patella last year. Banks has several technical issues that haven't been resolved despite starting multiple years. Braxton Jones isn't perfect. Still, he's proven he can hang at this level. Johnson isn't new to coaching around the flaws of his players. At the very least, he can handle one season with no clear long-term solution at left tackle while the team aims for immediate upgrades elsewhere.
