Ben Johnson didn’t just leave breadcrumbs that Braxton Jones’ standing as the Chicago Bears left tackle was potentially a short-term proposition. He outlined things with reflective road tape.
In mid-August, the Bears coach said a decision on the Week 1 starter is “not final for the season.”
“It could be that we have to reassess after a couple of weeks, or by the bye week we might have to reassess,” Johnson said. “(It) wouldn’t be ideal, but that’s the name of the league.”
If that wasn’t clear enough, Johnson then waited until the beginning of Week 1 to announce Jones as the starter, even though all of the preseason playing-time decisions pointed to the veteran.
It’s worth wondering if Johnson’s direct approach was helpful for the psyche of Jones, who went through a grueling offseason of recovering from a fractured left ankle in December even to be available in training camp. But Johnson was outlining clear expectations for his program in Year 1, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
To his credit, Jones didn’t bat an eye even as the season unfolded and the lost strength in his left leg led him to wear down in the second half of the first few games. He nearly made it to this week’s bye before he was replaced with a little more than four minutes remaining in the second quarter of Sunday’s 25-24 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
The Bears moved Theo Benedet, who had made his first career start at right tackle, to replace Jones and inserted rookie Ozzy Trapilo at right tackle.
A source said Jones is not expected to start Oct. 13 at Washington. The situation remains fluid, and Benedet is the likely replacement.
Coaches have time this week to really dive into the situation on the offensive line, especially with spotty production in the running game. Practice is scheduled for Tuesday with lifting Wednesday before a mandatory four-day break for players.
“We need to look at all four games so far as a whole, and we’ll get a good feel over the next few days where we’re at schematically,” Johnson said Monday afternoon. “What are we doing well? What aren’t we doing well? I think we’ll really have a good grasp of what we need to do going forward.
“It’s too early for me to tell. We’ve got to go through this process and figure out what’s best for us and our team going forward. I’ve got a lot of faith in the guys in that room. We’ve got some talented individuals, and I really believe in the coaching staff in that room, as well, that we’re only scratching the surface of what we’re capable of.”
The Bears rank 24th in the league in rushing with 102.3 yards per game and 25th in yards per rush (3.8). Without quarterback Caleb Williams’ rushing numbers, the offense is averaging 3.6 yards per attempt. Running back D’Andre Swift managed only 38 yards on 14 carries against the Raiders — with the game-winning 2-yard touchdown — and has 187 yards on 56 carries (3.3 average) through four games.
“I don’t think our running struggles were a reflection of D’Andre,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy that continues to run the ball very hard, even though the yards per carry aren’t where any of us wanted to be right now. He’s as frustrated as anybody. He’s very prideful in what he can do and what he brings to the table.
“I don’t feel like everybody on offense yet is pulling their weight, and that’s myself included. There’s a number of things from (Sunday’s) game I have to do a better job of. There were a couple calls I was getting in late. There were a couple things that the coaching staff, myself, we could have coached up better to give us a better chance.
“There were some things just execution-wise that we knew what we were going to do, but the techniques, the fundamentals, we didn’t adhere to them and we needed to. When you look at it as a whole, it was a mess.”
Pass protection combined with scheme has improved, as has Williams’ awareness in the pocket and ability to play on schedule. The Bears are 10th in the league with a 4.55% sack rate, a massive improvement over 2024, when they ranked last by a wide margin at 10.03%.
The expected shift to Benedet, an undrafted free agent last year from the University of British Columbia, could be with an eye toward sparking the ground game.
“He is a really good run blocker, first and foremost,” Johnson said Monday. “It probably took him just a minute to settle in (Sunday). It didn’t matter which side it was going to be on, right or left. He’s equally proficient in either one. He’s just had such a good spring and summer for us that I’ve got a lot of confidence.
“There’s just a few times in pass protection that we got out of balance just a little bit, got a little top-heavy and our head was out in front of our rear end. We’ve got to clean that up. I really think he’s going to continue to learn. The more reps he gets, the better he’s going to get.”
Trapilo likely will remain at right tackle until Darnell Wright returns from his right elbow injury. Johnson said the gains the second-round pick from Boston College made on the practice field created a situation where he was likely to play against the Raiders.
“A tough situation, you get thrown into the fire against a guy like Maxx Crosby,” Johnson said. “His welcome-to-the-NFL moment right there if there ever is one. I have a ton of respect for Crosby as a player. He certainly was the game-wrecker that we thought he could be early on in that game.
“Ozzy didn’t bat an eye. He went out there, he competed his tail off. I’m sure there’s a couple plays he’d like back, but I was really pleased with the way he went out there and competed. It’s a good foundational piece for the future for him.”
Just like at the start of the season, nothing is “final” for the O-line. The last thing the Bears want to do is get into another revolving-door situation, but they also have to be nimble when required. They used seven starting combinations last season after rotating through 10 in 2023.
Maybe Trapilo could get a look on the left side later in the season. That’s where the team first tried him in the spring and summer. A return for Jones as he continues to get stronger can’t be ruled out. But for the next game at least, he’s expected to be on the sideline with Benedet in the lineup.
None of this comes as a surprise given the clues Johnson provided.