Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson alluded to Thursday being the team’s longest and physical training camp practice ahead of the session, noting there would be a lot of 11-on-11 work. With that, comes the risk of injuries.

Already, two veterans have left practice on Thursday with the trainers in left tackle Braxton Jones and defensive end Montez Sweat. Reserve defensive back Dallis Flowers also went down with a leg/knee injury and had to be helped off.

Knowing the full extent of these situations could prove difficult in the short-term. The Bears are off on Friday and return to practice Saturday, and the fact Johnson spoke to reporters before practice rather than after means the coaching staff will not be available to publicly address the situations. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune did share that the initial belief is that Jones’ dodged a serious injury and things sound positive. But, him leaving in general was concerning given the on-going competition at left tackle.

Braxton Jones had been building strong momentum before this potential setback

Jones took first-team reps for three consecutive days of practice this week, and while that appeared to be a sign he was winning the starting job, Johnson said the team still planned to rotate tackles and that the competition was not yet finalized, although it’s still something the staff wants to get resolved sooner than later.

“We’re hoping – maybe middle of next week – we’ll have a lot of clarity there,” Johnson said ahead of Thursday’s practice. “We’re going to continue to roll guys through. Kiran’s certainly taken some reps over there, Jedrick, Theo’s in the mix. This is not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination. We’re going to continue to cycle guys through.”

Jones had been showing strong signs of what it takes to win the left tackle spot and become the Week 1 starter for a fifth consecutive season. During one-on-one drills between the offensive and defensive line, Jones reportedly looked viably upset after one rep against Austin Booker and took another strong rep before leaving practice.

Linemen were doing one-on-ones and Jones was matched up with Austin Booker. Jones was upset after the first rep. Went back in for a second (and did well), then exited practice a few minutes later.

— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) August 6, 2026

After Jones left practice, Kiran Amegadjie was seen getting reps at left tackle with the first-team offense during 11-on-11 drills. Along with Amegadjie, Jedrick Wills Jr. and Theo Benedet are also part of the left tackle competition. Wills and Benedet have also been mixing in at right tackle, preparing for a potential swing tackle role.

While the severity of the injury remains unknown, Jones leaving practice is a concerning development for the left tackle competition. The same goes for Sweat and the rest of the defensive front. We will provide more updates as soon as they are available.