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.
Background
Age: 24
Position: Offensive tackle
Experience: 2nd season
2023 cap hit: $944,887
2022 recap
The Bears took a swing on Jones in the 2022 NFL Draft, selecting him in the fifth round out of Southern Utah. He quickly won over the coaching staff and solidified himself as the starting left tackle in training camp, beating out the likes of Larry Borom and Riley Reiff. Jones played every single snap of every single game last year with both highs and lows. While he was stout as a run blocker, his pass blocking was inconsistent. Jones allowed seven sacks last year on his own, most on the team, and struggled with bigger defenders who were able to bull rush him into the backfield. All in all, however, he overachieved for a rookie selected on Day 3 and was named to the 2022 Pro Football Focus NFL All-Rookie Team.
2023 outlook
Jones did enough his rookie year to warrant another season as the team’s starting left tackle. The Bears chose not to sign any premium free agent tackle to supplant him and plan to play first-round rookie Darnell Wright at right tackle. For the first time since 2020, the team has a set plan at the position heading into training camp. But Jones needs to clean up areas in his game to go from a nice surprise to a quality starter moving forward. He knows that, though, and has talked on the record about what he needs to work on and how to improve to ensure he doesn’t allow defenders to chase down Justin Fields.
On top of that, he’s also going to need to gel with Teven Jenkins, who’s moving from right guard to left guard. Jenkins played right guard well last year, but it could be an adjustment that affects Jones early in the season.
Big question: Is Jones the team's franchise left tackle?
Jones is saying all the right things this offseason when it comes to his performance and expectations for 2023 and beyond. But can he back them up with his play? There was plenty to like during his rookie season, especially considering his draft position. But now that he’s gone through a full NFL season, that goes out the window. Jones now has to show he’s capable of becoming the team’s franchise left tackle as well as a leader on the offensive line for the foreseeable future.
The ingredients are all there for him, though. His measurables are favorable to the position, he’s intelligent, having been able to learn the position quickly, and he understands what he needs to do to get to the next level. This is a pivotal season for Jones and we’ll soon find out if he’s the real deal.
30 Most Important Bears of 2023
We’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears of 2023. Check back every day leading up to the start of training camp.
