Ben Johnson takes advantage of another team’s decision by bringing in a new developmental tackle for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have added a new developmental tackle into the building in Christian Jones after parting ways with Kiran Amegadjie.
The Chicago Bears stayed quiet during the waiver wire window, making no outside additions to the 53-man roster after adding two players off waivers last year.
Chicago did bring back defensive tackle James Lynch, the veteran the team released a day earlier, with a corresponding move expected to place, most likely by placing safety Coby Bryant on injured reserve.
The Bears did lose one player during the waiver wire process. Rookie offensive tackle Mason Murphy landed with the New Orleans Saints after being claimed off waivers. Murphy played sparingly in the preseason and was not in the team’s long-term plans. So, not a big loss there.
The more notable move for the Bears today came on the practice squad, where Chicago added offensive tackle Christian Jones after he was waived by the Arizona Cardinals. Jones passed through waivers unclaimed and chose to sign with the Bears’ practice squad over returning to Arizona’s.
What to know about Christian Jones
Jones is a 6-6, 321-pound former fifth-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft. Across three seasons with the Cardinals, he played just four games with one start during his rookie year in 2024. During this year’s preseason, he played 65 snaps and allowed four pressures and one sack.
His NFL career so far has actually closely resembled Kiran Amegadjie. He’s only started one game during the regular season and had stints on the injured reserve in back-to-back seasons. However, head coach Ben Johnson clearly sees something in this guy that interests him more than what he saw in Amegadjie over the last two years.
Amegadjie, the team’s former third-round pick, went unclaimed off waivers and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad, ending his time in Chicago. Jedrick Wills Jr., the former first-round pick the Bears brought in this offseason on a one-year flyer, was also released with an injury settlement.
That makes Jones the new developmental tackle for the Bears, who now gets a fresh start with a new coaching staff. The upside is that the Bears can work with him over the next year-plus and see what he has.
The rest of the Bears tackle situation seems to have “cleared’ up”
As for the rest of the tackle situation on the 53-man roster tackle, it’s looking the same as it did a year ago. Braxton Jones is going to be the presumed starter at left tackle for the fifth year in a row. Darnell Wright, fresh off a handsome new extension, returns as the second-team All-Pro at right tackle. Theo Benedet slots in as the swing tackle and jumbo tight end, and Ozzy Trapilo can challenge for the left tackle job once he’s ready.
The good news is that Trapilo did not land on injured reserve, which is great news for Chicago. He will continue practicing and ramping back up to game shape, though it remains to be seen how long that process takes before he can legitimately compete for the starting job.
Behind those four, the Bears will see what they have in Christian Jones on the practice squad as a developmental project after definitively moving on from Amegadjie.
