Tag: Braxton Jones

Bears notebook: What we learned from Day 11 of training camp

Our Brendan Sugrue took in Bears training camp practice on Tuesday. Here is what he observed at Halas Hall.

It’s officially game week for the Chicago Bears! The team is gearing up for their first preseason contest of the year on Saturday and returned to the practice field at Halas Hall following an off day.

The Bears ditched the pads for this practice, only running drills in shells, but it was still a competitive session that provided valuable information leading into the preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans. It was also the debut for new edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue, who sported his No. 91 jersey.

I was able to take in practice on Tuesday and here is what I observed during the nearly two hour practice.

Winners and losers following first week of Bears training camp

After seven days of Bears training camp practices, here are our winners and losers up to this point.

Seven training camp practices have come and gone for the Chicago Bears up at Halas Hall and things are starting to fall in place at certain positions. There’s been some good, some bad, and even a little ugly at certain points depending on your perspective. But it’s all with a goal to grow as a team and prepare for the 2023 regular season that lies ahead.

Over the course of those seven practices, specific players have risen to the top and shined at crucial moments. Others, however, haven’t had the camp many envisioned they would up to this point.

It’s still early, but it’s clear some are in better spots than others. Here are the winners and losers of the first week of Bears training camp

30 Most Important Bears of 2023: No. 3 Braxton Jones

Our No. 3 Most Important Bear of 2023 is Braxton Jones, who surprised everyone as a rookie but now needs to show he’s a franchise tackle.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2023 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.

Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2023 season. We’ll recap their 2022 season, look ahead to 2023 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.

At No. 3 is offensive tackle Braxton Jones, a pleasant surprise from 2022 who has big expectations going into this season.

10 Bears with the most to prove in 2023

There are several Bears players with something to prove this season.

The Chicago Bears are coming off a 3-14 season that culminated in a 10-game losing streak, but there’s plenty of optimism about the direction of the team following an impactful 2023 offseason.

There are plenty of players with something to prove this season, whether it’s veterans in a contract year or players looking to prove they can be the long-term answer. There’s a lot on the line for these guys, and it starts in training camp.

Let’s take a look at 10 Bears players with the most to prove in 2023.

Bears 2023 training camp preview: Offensive line

Our next Bears position preview is the offensive line, a group that will look very different than it did in 2022.

Chicago Bears training camp is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We’re unveiling our Bears 2023 training camp position previews, where we’re breaking down every player by position and examining the biggest question facing the group.

Rounding out the offensive side of the ball is the offensive line, a group that only has one projected starter playing the same position they played in 2022. Braxton Jones is back at left tackle but the rest of the line has done more shuffling than the 1985 Bears.

Teven Jenkins and Cody Whitehair were both prominent starters in 2022 who are now playing new positions, while newcomers Nate Davis and Darnell Wright were added to anchor the right side of the line. Meanwhile, players like Lucas Patrick and Larry Borom are now backups after entering last year’s camp as starters.

Here’s a closer look at the Bears’ offensive line heading into training camp.

Bears LT Braxton Jones on what he can learn from rookie RT Darnell Wright

Braxton Jones has stepped into a mentor role with Darnell Wright, but he also revealed there’s plenty to learn from the Bears’ top rookie.

The Bears landed arguably the best pass blocking offensive tackle in the NFL draft with Darnell Wright, who’s expected to start immediately at right tackle for Chicago’s new-look offensive line.

Wright will experience some growing pains as a rookie, which is something his teammate Braxton Jones understands well. After all, Jones played immediately as a rookie, starting every snap at left tackle for Chicago in 2022. So Jones had some advice for Wright this offseason.

“Him being the No. 10 overall pick, he’s been great,” Jones said, via Heavy.com. “The biggest thing for me is just trying to tell him to relax a little bit and when things get tough, or overwhelming in practice, sometimes, just relax. It’s going to come.”

While Jones is stepping into a mentor role with Wright, he also said there’s plenty he can learn from his rookie teammate, especially when it comes to his pass blocking prowess.

“Darnell was a great pass-blocker at Tennessee, and they would really sling the ball around,” Jones said. “So, I’ve definitely seen him, and taken some of his techniques away and tried to put it in my game a little bit, too. Obviously, he’s a premier 10th overall pick, so he’s got some tricks and tools that I can take from his game.”

The Bears offensive line struggled in pass protection last season, which is why things were reworked. Chicago added Wright and veteran Nate Davis this offseason, as well as moving players to different positions. In fact, Jones is the only starter to occupy the same spot last season with the Bears.

Protecting quarterback Justin Fields will be a top priority in 2023, after he was sacked a league-high 55 times last season in 15 games. Jones and Wright will play an integral role in keeping Fields upright to help him take the next step in his development.

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Bears LT Braxton Jones reveals how Justin Fields helped him as a rookie

Bears LT Braxton Jones admitted QB Justin Fields bailed him out a few times last year, which made life easier on him as a rookie.

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Bears left tackle Braxton Jones was one of the pleasant surprises to come out of an otherwise disappointing 2022 season. The fifth-round rookie played every snap at left tackle last season, and he showed potential to develop into a long-term starter.

Jones quickly established himself as an important part of the Bears’ offensive line. While he was impressive, he wasn’t without his rookie struggles in adjusting to the pro game. In fact, Jones admitted that quarterback Justin Fields bailed him out a few times, which made life easier on him as a rookie.

“As a young tackle, I had my rough times,” Jones told Heavy’s Matt Lombardo. “But, more than not, Justin got me out of some of those bad plays. When he does move a lot, it can go either way. Sometimes, you might run into one of those sacks where the defensive linemen can see better than I can where he’s going. And that’s tough.

“But, more times than not, Justin is helping the offensive line get out of those type of situations where maybe protection breaks down. He’s been great. It’s so fun watching him just start rolling down the field. There are multiple times when I’m trying to chase him, I can’t catch him at all, but I’m trying and cheering him on doing his thing.”

There was one play in particular that he referenced, and it’s one Bears fans remember well against the Dolphins. After all, Fields is at his best when he’s making something out of nothing.

“Against Miami, Justin had a [61-yard] rushing touchdown,” Jones said. “But, I was getting edged a little bit, and him getting out of the pocket and running for the touchdown, it made it look like I had actually pancaked the guy. But, actually, I was getting edged and Justin saved me and ran for the touchdown.”

As Fields enters a pivotal third season, the expectation is he’ll take a step forward in the passing game and establish himself as one of the NFL’s top young quarterbacks. Star players are supposed to elevate the players around them, and that’s exactly what Fields did last season for Jones. We’ll see what he does this year.

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Winners and losers following the Bears 2023 offseason

As we await the arrival of training camp, here are some of our winners and losers following the Bears offseason.

It’s been an eventful offseason for the Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Poles. Armed with the most available cap space of any team in the league, coupled with holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Bears had plenty of resources at their disposal and made the most of the opportunities to improve the team. In just his second offseason as general manager, Poles took plenty of swings and now has the Bears effectively set as they prepare for training camp.

The offseason isn’t quite over just yet and a surprise move or two could still be on the way, but the majority of the work has been completed. As we await the arrival of training camp, here are the winners and losers of the Bears offseason.

Where the Bears’ roster core ranks among the rest of the NFL

ESPN doesn’t believe the Bears’ non-QB core stacks up well against the rest of the NFL.

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The arrow is pointing up for the Chicago Bears following an offseason where general manager Ryan Poles upgraded at a number of positions. But where does their core roster rank among the rest of the league?

ESPN’s Seth Walder ranked every NFL roster core, featuring the five most important players for each team. For the Bears, those players included quarterback Justin Fields, wide receiver DJ Moore, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, safety Eddie Jackson and left tackle Braxton Jones, who have an average core age of 25.

Unfortunately, ESPN doesn’t believe Chicago has one of the league’s best roster cores, as they ranked 25th. They’re ranked behind fellow NFC North rivals the Vikings (13th), Lions (18th) and Packers (24th).

The Bears improved this offseason, but their non-QB core still doesn’t stack up against that of most NFL teams. In Fields, Chicago has a midlevel QB, though there is certainly a world where Fields ascends beyond that. But we haven’t seen it yet, as he ranked 17th in QBR last season and took sacks at an egregious 12.5% rate.

Fields is the biggest key to the success of the Bears in 2023 and beyond. After Chicago opted to trade the No. 1 pick and put their faith in Fields, they believe Fields will prove them right. Jackson, the longest-tenured of this group, leads the team’s defensive backfield. He rediscovered his playmaking ways last season before a Lisfranc injury ended his season early.

The group includes two new additions in Moore and Edmunds, who are expected to impact their respective side of the ball in a big way. Moore is already making waves during offseason workouts, where his chemistry with Fields has been the storyline. Edmunds will serve as the middle linebacker in a Bears defense that struggled immensely last season.

Then there’s Jones, who’s entering his second season as the team’s starting left tackle. As a rookie, the former fifth-round pick started every snap for Chicago. The Bears showed a wave of confidence in Jones when they elected to select the NFL draft’s best right tackle in Darnell Wright.

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Bears’ Braxton Jones mentoring rookie Darnell Wright

Bears LT Braxton Jones is entering his second NFL season, where he’s taking one a new leadership role with rookie RT Darnell Wright.

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Bears left tackle Braxton Jones is entering his second NFL season, where he’s taking one a new leadership role.

Last season, Jones was the new kid on the block as a fifth-round rookie out of Southern Utah. He quickly worked his way up the depth chart during the offseason, and he eventually started every snap at left tackle for Chicago in 2022.

Now, Jones is working on his own growth at left tackle, as well as helping first-round rookie right tackle Darnell Wright in his acclimation to the pro game.

“There’s a little bit of a different role I’ve taken,” Jones said on ESPN 1000’s Waddle & Silvy. “Obviously, Darnell Wright was taken in the first round. Trying to help him out a little bit in this offseason during OTAs. I still got a crap ton of work to do myself.”

Jones has discussed the importance of getting the game to slow down for Wright as a rookie, where the speed and strength of NFL edge rushers came at Jones fast during his rookie season.

According to Jones, the key for Wright will be getting the game to slow down and building up his size and strength in his journey to becoming a long-term starting tackle for the Bears.

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