The Chicago Bears enter their bye week facing a decision that’s been brewing since training camp: whether Braxton Jones should keep his job at left tackle.
The team’s Week 4 win over the Raiders offered a not-so-subtle hint. First-year head coach Ben Johnson benched Jones mid-game, slid Theo Benedet over to the blind side, and let rookie Ozzy Trapilo take his first real NFL snaps at right tackle. Now, according to one top insider, Jones will be benched and the LT job may be Benedet’s moving forward.
“A source said Jones is not expected to start Oct. 13 at Washington. The situation remains fluid, and Benedet is the likely replacement,” Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported on September 30.
“We need to look at all four games so far as a whole, and we’ll get a good feel over the next few days where we’re at schematically,” Johnson said about the situation at LT, via Biggs. “What are we doing well? What aren’t we doing well? I think we’ll really have a good grasp of what we need to do going forward. It’s too early for me to tell. We’ve got to go through this process and figure out what’s best for us and our team going forward.”
Jones Has Been Solid for a 5th-Round Pick, But He Has Been Inconsistent
Jones is coming off a December ankle fracture and surgery that surely made his bid to win the starting LT job in 2025 far more difficult. He rehabbed hard and won the starting job back in camp, but through four weeks, his play has been uneven.
Against the Raiders, things fell apart. Chicago gave Maxx Crosby a free run too many times, and the staff chose in-game stability over sentiment. Jones has started 44 games for the Bears since getting taken in Round 5 in 2022. He’s played over 2,670 snaps at LT in that span. It couldn’t have been an easy decision for Johnson, but the Bears HC felt like a change was needed.
It’s Looking Like It’ll Be Theo Benedet Replacing Braxton Jones as the Bears’ Starting LT
GettyBen Johnson and Theo Benedet celebrate after the Bears beat the Raiders.
Benedet looks like the most natural replacement for Jones. At 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, the second-year Canadian tackle has quietly climbed the depth chart since arriving as an undrafted free agent in 2024. Coaches seem to love his discipline and his ability to hold up against opposing D-linemen. He’s already logged snaps as the swing tackle, and he went in at LT against the Raiders, which makes him the likeliest next man up.
There’s also Trapilo, the massive rookie Chicago drafted in the second round this past April. At 6-8 with long arms and surprisingly light feet, he’s got a ton of Bears fans waiting to see what he can do. The Bears envisioned him as a long-term bookend opposite Darnell Wright, who is currently out with an elbow injury.
Thrown into the fire against Crosby, Trapilo held his own. If Wright’s elbow issue lingers, the Bears could roll with Benedet at left and Trapilo at right. If Wright is back to full strength, Trapilo will likely head back to the bench.
The bye week will help in that it’ll give the team’s new starter at LT a tad more repped before Chicago’s October 13 trip to Washington on Monday Night Football.
Ben Johnson Planning Major Position Change After Bears Bye Week: Report