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Surprising ranking suggests Chicago Bears are set at left tackle

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated May 30, 2025 9:27 AM ET

One of the prevailing talking points surrounding the Chicago Bears this offseason was the need to upgrade the offensive line, including left tackle, where incumbent starter Braxton Jones has lined up with the first team for the last three seasons.

Jones suffered a fractured ankle last December, and he's expected to begin training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP). As a result, the Bears were projected in 2025 mock drafts to use their first-round pick on a prospect like Will Campbell or Kelvin Banks Jr. to compete with -- or overtake -- Jones for the starting job.

Instead, Poles waited until the second round to select a tackle, using the 56th pick on Boston College starter Ozzy Trapilo.

Trapilo received first-team reps during the last round of Bears OTAs after 2024 third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie lined up with the starters a week earlier.

Bears fans are hopeful one of the two relatively highly-drafted prospects can have a breakthrough summer and become a quality starter, but that hope may be unnecessary. Despite his injury, Jones remains a respected starter around the league, and it was reflected in Pro Football Focus' recent ranking of the top 32 offensive tackles entering the 2025 season.

Jones ranked 25th, ahead of right tackle Darnell Wright (26th), who most analysts would suggest is actually the better of Chicago's two starters.

"The former fifth-round pick battled multiple injuries and missed significant time as he played a career-low 719 snaps in 2024," PFF's Zoltan Buday wrote. "However, when Jones was on the field, he played the best football of his career to date. His 80.8 PFF pass-blocking grade, which ranked 17th at the position, was a career high, and he allowed a pressure on a career-low 6.4% of pass plays."

The problem facing Jones is his recovery from such a severe injury. It's one thing to get back to being healthy enough to play; it's another to regain the form that made him such an underrated starter.

As is the case with all players returning from injury, we won't know whether Braxton Jones is the same player he was until we know . The good news for the Chicago Bears is that they have young and promising options ready to step in if Jones is slow in his return or struggles once he gets back on the field.

However, the respect Jones has from the national media is likely an opinion that's shared inside Halas Hall, which explains why left tackle wasn't a priority in free agency or the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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