ESPN floats a trade that would bring a swift end to the Bears LT issue but would bring more unnecessary risk for Caleb Williams

Which is why Jones was once again involved in some trade speculation going into the regular season. On Monday, ESPN's Bill Barnwell shared 10 trade proposals ahead of cutdown day and had the Bears shipping off Jones for another young player on defense.

Pros and Cons to trading Braxton Jones

Barnwell's proposal had Chicago sending Jones to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for cornerback Derion Kendrick and a 2026 sixth-round selection. Chicago and L.A. have had a lot of contact already this year after the Bears traded for right guard Jonah Jackson and made another deal on Day 3 of the draft to acquire a future fourth-round pick.

This trade makes sense, and doesn't, at the same time. Like I mentioned before, Jones is entering into the final year of his rookie deal and if the Bears let him walk, he'd have to sign a decent contract elsewhere in order to get a compensatory pick back. Moving him before his contract runs out in a trade like this secures a Day 3 selection while getting a young player in return.

Speaking of which, the Bears already have a logjam at the cornerback position and might already be forced to cut a fifth-round rookie in Zah Frazier, so who's to say Kendrick even makes this roster?

Furthermore, moving Jones at this point throws a wrench into the offensive line plans. Jones is set to be the Week 1 starter, despite all his concerns, after beating out Trapilo, Amegadjie, and Theo Benedet for the starting role. If you move Jones, do you move Trapilo back to left tackle or do you start a different unproven player in Benedet or Amegadjie to protect Williams?

To me, there's too much risk involved making a move now. Let's say in 4-5 weeks, Benedet takes the starting job from Jones due to performance and plays well, then I could see the team moving Jones for a Day 3 selection before the deadline. Right now, there's too much risk involved to make such a move.

The Bears, for better or worse, have locked themselves into starting Jones at left tackle out of the gate and we'll see how long that actually lasts.