The Chicago Bears’ Surprising Faith in Braxton Jones

In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected Braxton Jones, a tackle from the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, with their 168th pick. Jones has since played 28 games primarily as their left tackle. In the 2024 Draft, the Bears chose wide receiver Rome Odunze with their ninth overall pick, positioning Jones as the key protector for the franchise's new star, Caleb Williams. This move makes Jones a standout beneficiary of the recent draft but also increases the scrutiny and expectations he faces from fans and the media.

Grading Braxton Jones

Pro Football Focus has some history on Jones, and they most recently graded him as the 35th best-performing offensive tackle in the league. Sure, there are some caveats with how the grading is done, but it is widely used to gauge talent levels in the NFL. Jones recently received a 68.8 overall, which ranks him in the top half of the 81 tackles assessed. He played 724 snaps and allowed two sacks. He had three games with a grade in the forties - New Orleans, Cleveland, and Green Bay. All losses.

Maybe some of this could be blamed on Justin Fields ... maybe not.

His grade is down from 75.4, and he received the 19th-place finish in 2022.

Overall, the pass blocking for the Bears graded out at 23rd with an unflattering 57.3.

Drafting Jones' Replacement

Several mock drafts pointed to the Chicago Bears taking an offensive tackle with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 draft, instead they waited until round three to take Kiran Amegadjie out of Yale. Scouts think the Bears got great value, and Amegadjie would have gone in the top 45 had he not suffered an injury for the Senior Bowl, but he doesn't project as an immediate starter. That leaves Jones to protect Williams' blindside and pressures him to raise his game.

Braxton Jones Draft Profile

At the 2022 combine, Jones performed moderately, as detailed in his Draft Profile. He measured 6'5" and weighed 310 lbs. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.97 seconds and was ranked the 11th overall tackle by NFL Next Gen Stats. His pro comparison was Yodny Cajuste. He joined the league in 2019 and is on his third team.

A better comparison might be Charles Leno Jr. A seventh-round pick in 2014, Leno played seven seasons as the Bears' starting left tackle. Most would call his play inconsistent, and the grades would agree. In 2017, Leno was ranked the 13th-best offensive tackle; in 2019, he was 63rd. Since then, Leno has leveled out at around 70 and is better in the passing game. He ranked seven spots higher (28th) than Jones playing for the Washington Commanders in 2024.

Offensive Line Mediocrity

The Bears' offense will look very different next year with the addition of key skill players Williams, Odunze, Keenan Allen, D'Andre Swift, and Gerald Everett. That won't win any battles in the trenches, though. The offensive line should be made up of Jones (LT), Teven Jenkins (LG), Ryan Bates (C), Nate Davis (LG) and Darnell Wright (LT). None of these players lit the league on fire last year, and the pressure has intensified. Is this unit sufficient to protect the new all-world quarterback Chicago just drafted? They're gonna have to be.

Will Jones Be Good Enough?

Choosing not to draft a top lineman with the ninth pick appears to leave the left tackle position available for Jones, who has fought valiantly since his fifth-round selection in 2022. Most teams would hesitate to place a relatively unknown player in such a critical position protecting their quarterback’s blindside, but the Bears were compelled to do so in 2022. Despite missing six games last season, Jones seems to have proven himself sufficiently to secure the starting role again in 2024. To add just a little more risk into the equation, Amegadjie is his backup, and he hasn't played a snap in the NFL yet.

For comparison purposes, the Chiefs' offensive line has been graded near the league's top for pass blocking since 2021. If Williams has a chance to become Patrick Mahomes, Chicago will need better play from the offensive line. I wonder how better quarterback play could have an additional effect on the grade...?

Fans can only hope Jones rises to another level of stardom and becomes the future left tackle. If he doesn't, Caleb Williams' health hangs in the balance.