Bears insider confirms brutal reality for injured veteran offensive tackle that likely closes the door on his time in Chicago
Chicago Bears veteran left tackle Braxton Jones will not return in 2026 after undergoing surgery on his injured knee, likely closing the door on the former fifth-round pick’s time in Chicago.
The 2026 season was expected to be a big season for Chicago Bears veteran left tackle Braxton Jones. The former fifth-round pick signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Bears after getting little interest on the open market after his rookie contract expired.
Jones had a runway to regain his starting job at left tackle with Ozzy Trapilo coming off a torn patellar tendon and with Theo Benedet still developing. He returned to Chicago with a new mindset after his previous injuries and determined to show the Bears – and other teams in the league – that he’s a new player capable of being a starting-caliber tackle.
Jones eventually won the starting job throughout training camp, even after missing some time, and was a Week 1 starter for the fifth consecutive season for the Bears. The team still wanted to play things smart with him and rotated in Benedet over the first couple of weeks to help keep Jones fresh later in games, a plan the staff believed was working well.
However, in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jones suffered another knee injury and was later placed on the injured reserve. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Jones made the decision to undergo surgery to repair the injury and will be out for the rest of the year.
“Jones suffered a partially torn patellar tendon, and the plan was for him to rehabilitate the injury before determining if it was feasible for him to return this season and delay surgery. After a little more than a month, it was decided to have the injury repaired, an NFL source said Wednesday,” Biggs wrote.
Braxton Jones’ injury update paints a tough picture for his future in Chicago
The one good news from this injury, Jones did not fully rupture his patellar tendon like Trapilo did back in January. Biggs added that Jones is expected to be cleared to return in the late spring. It’s still a brutal development for a player that was looking to use this season to pole-vault himself into landing a sizable contract.
Healthy, starting-caliber left tackles don’t hit the free agent market very often. Given Jones’ injury history and the timeline for this recovery, it’s unlikely that he gets a strong market again after this season. That could present an opportunity for the Bears to bring him back for cheap, saying they’re willing to give him another chance. But, this season was already supposed to be his second chance to prove himself.
“He came in when he signed the contract and he looked like a brand new man, as far as I’m concerned,” Bears head coach Ben Johnson said over the offseason. “This guy was beefed up, he was probably 310 pounds, and he looked yoked up… I know he’s very determined to get his career trajectory back to where it was before.”
The Bears showed a lot of belief in Jones and gave him every opportunity to prove himself this season. It’s really just a tough situation for him and the Bears to have this season go this way for him.
“He’s a phenomenal man, he’s got unbelievable character, I see the work ethic. I think one of the greatest compliments I can give a player is being an overachiever and I don’t mean that disrespectfully, because the Hall Of Fame is full of them and that’s how I view this guy, as an overachiever,” Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar said of Jones.
Whether or not the Bears decide to give Jones another shot remains to be seen. But, it’s certainly possible that this latest development signals the end of his time in Chicago.
