Chicago Bears tackle Braxton Jones is out for the season after suffering an ankle injury on Sunday
Reports made it official on Monday that the Chicago Bears left tackle will miss the remaining two games of the campaign with an ankle injury. The medical staff at Solider Field put Jones’ ankle in an air cast prior to carting him off the field in the second quarter of the Chicago Bears’ ninth straight loss.
Jones had returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing the previous game in Minnesota last Monday due to a concussion. The Southern Utah product finishes his third season missing three total games and saw a lot of growth in what has been a tough season in the Windy City.
After dealing with a couple of mid-game benchings a season ago, Jones became a staple on the Chicago Bears offensive line this year when he was healthy. One of the biggest knocks against the former fifth-round draft choice was penalties and that got cleaned up in a big way this season. Jones logged just seven total penalties entering yesterday and ranks inside the top 20 tackles in pass blocking this year.
Jones is expected to be ready to rock and roll for the start of training camp, which is extremely positive news for Chicago Bears fans to hear. The one major thing to keep an eye on for Caleb Williams’ blind-side blocker is that he is coming up on a contract year. Due to this injury, the front office most likely won’t entertain talks of an extension for Jones this offseason. This should not create any drama or hold out from Jones because of the little leverage he has in the matter, but beginning the 2025-26 campaign without a new deal in place will be worth monitoring over time.
The Chicago Bears will need to piece their line together for the last two games
The way things look right now, Larry Borom will get the start in Jones’ place on Thursday night at Soldier Field against Seattle. When Jones missed the Minnesota game it was Kiran Amegadjie, the rookie from Yale who took his spot. Amegadjie struggled mightily against the physical pass rush of the Vikings and was a healthy scratch on Sunday against Detroit.
Borom was drafted a year before Jones in 2021. The Missouri Tiger has battled injuries as a depth piece on the Chicago Bears offensive line over the last few years. Borom has an opportunity in these last two games to prove his worth to the front office and earn a chance to compete for a roster spot next year.
Beyond this season, it is already known that the Chicago Bears will look to address the offensive line this offseason. Regardless of Jones’ status moving forward, Will Campbell of LSU is a top tackle prospect who has been mocked to Chicago in multiple drafts. The team might have even more pressure to draft a guy of Campbell’s ability, given that Jones is coming off this tough injury.
An early thought behind drafting Campbell in Chicago was that a competition would break out. Whoever would lose the left tackle job between him and Jones would simply kick inside to left guard. The organization is strongest on the outside in its protection for Williams. Between Jones and Darnell Wright, there is a lot to like overall. However, if they can snag a prospect fo Campbell’s caliber early in April’s draft, it would be hard on them to pass on that opportunity.
The number one goal for the last two games of this disappointing campaign is to keep Williams in one piece. While not having Jones healthy will make this difficult, it is important that his ankle begins to heal as quickly as possible for him to be ready for camp.
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