Teammate Takes Partial Blame For Braxton Jones' Struggles Last Year

Braxton Jones was one of the better stories of 2022 for the Chicago Bears. He was a rare bright spot despite a roster depleted in talent or optimism. A 5th round pick out of small Southern Utah, Jones emerged in training camp to become their new left tackle. To the shock of many, he started every snap last season and didn't get entirely railroaded by the more experienced defenders he faced each week. His run blocking was some of the best on the team and among all left tackles in the NFL. Unfortunately, like most rookies, he had flaws.

The biggest was his inability to handle power rushes in pass protection. His lack of anchor strength led to frequent instances of Jones allowing the pocket to collapse from his side, resulting in either a sack or Justin Fields abandoning the pocket and running. While the tackle has taken ownership of this issue whenever asked, one of his teammates believes he also had a hand in the problems.

Dominique Robinson was also a 5th round pick last year for the Bears. He, too, showed flashes, but unlike Jones, he failed to sustain them. After 1.5 sacks in the opener against San Francisco, Robinson was unable to register another the rest of the year. He chalks that up to his lackadaisical attitude toward developing his pass rush skills. Nowhere was that clearer than his power game. He basically ignored it even during training camp. Jones believes that had a detrimental effect on both of them.

Braxton Jones and Robinson have corrected that problem.

The defensive end has made it a point of emphasis to use his power game much more often in camp this year. He wisely spent the off-season working with former All-Pro edge rusher Robert Mathis. The Super Bowl champion had 123 sacks in his career. He also has the double advantage of having played in a variation of the Tampa-2 defense that Matt Eberflus runs. So he likely gave Robinson tons of valuable tips on how to evolve his game, including how to utilize his power better.

What makes it crazy is the guy has more than enough strength to be a force. He benched pressed 25 times at the combine. He also had a 41-inch vertical jump. Robinson has the upper and lower-body power to take on NFL tackle. That he refused to use it last year is baffling. Braxton Jones made sure that won't happen again. Not only will he benefit from facing that over the next month, but the defense will once the real games begin in September.