Braxton Jones just gave the Bears a little clarity in the LT competition with his showing in a key evaluation game
He showed some of what the coaching staff was hoping to see.
The Chicago Bears made a sudden change at a critical positional battle last week to hopefully find a little more clarity toward an eventual decision.
For weeks, the left tackle battle has stalled without a clear option standing out. Late in the week, the Bears made the decision to move second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo to right tackle to begin preparing for the swing tackle role and gave second-year Theo Benedet a shot to compete at left tackle.
During Sunday’s preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, Braxton Jones took starting reps for the second week in a row at the position, followed by Benedet and eventually Kiran Amegadjie.
After the game, head coach Ben Johnson stated this outing would be “a big one” in terms of evaluation for the starting position.
“I think this game is going to go a long way,” Johnson explained. “I would be remiss to say I could really tell from the sideline view. We’re going to have to look at that tape to know for sure. But we kind of came into this game saying that this was going to be a big one for that (evaluation).”
With Jones getting the start, here’s what Johnson noted he was hoping to see from the three-year starter once he watches the tape back.
“To me, it’s consistency,” Johnson said. “He’s shown flashes of his old self and yet there’s still been some low moments where, I know we’re going to get beat in this league, you do. When you’re playing tackle against some of these pass rushers in this league, you’re going to lose a rep or two. There’s two things – one is, how do you bounce back when that happens and the other one is, how do we slow down from losing too fast.”
Jones played a total of 14 snaps against the Bills (two drives with the first-team offense). According to Pro Football Focus, Jones was on the hook for just one pressure while Benedet allowed two on 20 pass blocking snaps.
It was limited work and still early to make a final decision, but it seems notable that Jones left the game with the rest of the main offensive starters following the second drive. Experience is certainly in Jones’ favor when it comes to determining the Week 1 starter, consistency will determine how long Jones holds that starting spot.
At the end of the day, Jones looked much better in the second preseason game compared to the preseason opener. And if he’s the biggest worry among the starting five offensive linemen, the Bears should be in good shape come Week 1 while feeling confident in Benedet’s continued improvement.
Chicago Bears News
Bears’ offensive performance from Week 2 of the preseason should quiet a narrative regarding a supposed position of need
It might not be as big of a need as many expect.
| Be part of the A to Z Sports community and vote in our latest Chicago Bears poll as the preseason gets underway. |
