Chicago Bears GM puts starter on hot seat at combine

Entering the 2025 NFL combine, the Chicago Bears are evaluating nearly every position on their roster. And there is perhaps no area deserving of more scrutiny than the team’s offensive line.

Caleb Williams’ rookie season was marred by a league-high 68 sacks. It’ll be hard for him to truly develop as a quarterback without proper protection up front. While Braxton Jones performed admirably at the position, an injury ended his season early. Now, General Manager Ryan Poles openly admitted there would be competition at the left tackle position.

He didn’t outwardly say Jones lost his starting job. Simply that the Bears would start the best five players they have across their offensive line, via Poles’ Tuesday press conference.

“I think Braxton did a good job. You never want guys to go through injuries. We got to see how he comes out on the other side of this. I know everything has been progressing on schedule. He’s doing a good job with that. He’s been very active with rehabbing and getting back on his feet,” Poles said. “That’s another spot where there’s going to be competition. You build the line with the best five guys.”

Braxton Jones’ production since joining Chicago Bears 

Jones was originally selected by the Chicago Bears in fifth-round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Don’t let his draft slot fool you though, he started all 17 games for Chicago as a rookie. He returned to the same role in 2023, however, a hamstring injury limited him to just 11 games.

In 2024, Jones played in just 12 games due to an ankle injury. Still, Jones looked impressive whenever he was on the field. He allowed a career-low 19 pressures and five sacks. Furthermore, Jones ranked 20/141 tackles with a 77.4 grade from Pro Football Focus. His 80.8 pass blocking grade ranked 17/141 tackles.

The biggest red flag against Jones throughout his young career has been his durability. When healthy, he and Darnell Wright make for a solid combination on the outside of the line. The key word there is ‘when.’ If Jones continues to struggle with injuries, or if another opportunity pops up for the Bears, perhaps he would be asked to move inside or relegated to a swing role.

Who could replace Braxton Jones? 

Even with his injury problems, the Bears would need to find a strong replacement should they move Jones off of left tackle. Their best opportunity seems to be in the NFL Draft. Two of the players Chicago is most connected to are Will Campbell of LSU and Kelvin Banks of Texas.

Campbell was named a starter as a true freshman at LSU. He went on to start 37 games with the team, culminating in him being named a Consensus All-American and the Jacobs Blocking Trophy award winner in 2024.

Banks was also named a starter entering his true freshman season at Texas. He split the Jacobs Blocking Trophy with Campbell in 2024, also earning the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award while being named a Consensus All-American. He started 42 games over his time with the Longhorns.

Outside of their similarities awards wise, both Banks and Campbell are natural tackles. The Bears could ask one of them to move inside to accommodate Jones, but their also using major draft capital on whoever they select. Furthermore, a rookie LT next to Darnell Wright at RT would give Chicago a young tackle core for the foreseeable future.

The Bears still have plenty to figure out when it comes to their offensive line. But before the combine even starts, Ryan Poles let Braxton Jones and fans know who opens Week 1 at left tackle isn’t yet set in stone.