Bears Longtime Starter Named Team’s ‘Most Vulnerable Player’ as Camp Begins

Braxton Jones enters the 2025 season facing more pressure than he has at any point in his career.

Despite being a consistent presence on the Chicago Bears offensive line over the past three seasons, the former fifth-round pick is coming off a serious leg injury and is now surrounded by young, hungry talent vying for his job.

With a wide open left tackle competition in full swing and his rookie contract nearing its end, Jones has to prove not only that he’s healthy, but that he’s still the Bears’ best option to protect Caleb Williams’ blindside.

The Bears used a second-round pick on Ozzy Trapilo, a massive, technically polished tackle out of Boston College who can play on either side of the line. They also selected Kiran Amegadjie in the third round last year. With training camp underway, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell listed the “players, coaches and executives who have more riding on what happens this season than anybody else.”

Jones was the only offensive lineman to make the list.

Barnwell: Braxton Jones Is ‘Most Vulnerable Player’ for the Chicago Bears

GettyBraxton Jones is heading into an uncertain future with the Chicago Bears, with Bill Barnwell naming him the team’s most vulnerable player.

“The NFL can feel like a league in which everybody is one season or even one bad stretch of play away from getting benched or fired, but it’s also a league in which one positive stretch can flip things the other way,” Barnwell wrote on July 24, adding:

“Jones isn’t the first name mentioned when it comes to the Bears and how they’ve built their roster, but he might be the most vulnerable player in their lineup.”

Jones isn’t just trying to win the starting LT job — he’s playing for a new contract. Now in the final year of his rookie deal, he has everything to gain—or lose—based on his performance in 2025. If he can reclaim and keep the starting job, he could play his way into a long-term extension. But if he’s outperformed or his injury lingers, his free-agent market could be far less lucrative.

“If Jones can stay healthy and lock down the left side of the line in the final season of his rookie deal, the riches earned by similarly inconsistent (Dan Moore Jr.) or inexperienced (Jaylon Moore) left tackles in free agency suggest he would be in line for a deal north of $20 million per season,” Barnwell noted.

“The pending free agent could leverage the open market against a front office that has been generous with offers to core players. If Jones can’t stay healthy or loses the job … he is probably looking at a fraction of that amount in free agency.”

Jones Could Be Trade Candidate if He Loses Starting LT Job

Jones has quietly built a respectable résumé since being drafted in the fifth round in 2022. He was a surprise Day 1 starter at left tackle as a rookie and played all 17 games that year, earning recognition from Pro Football Focus and the Pro Football Writers of America.

Over the next two seasons, Jones became a fixture on Chicago’s offensive line. He has started 40 games over his three seasons in the Windy City.

But he suffered a broken fibula in a game against the Lions late in the season, and the injury sidelined him for months. He’s just now getting back to action with the start of training camp.

New offensive line coach Dan Roushar and head coach Ben Johnson are going to start the best man for the job, whether it’s Trapilo, Amegadjie or Jones — but if it’s not Jones, the veteran OL could be a potential trade candidate. His contract is still affordable, and experienced offensive linemen capable of starting are always sought after in the NFL.

There’s a chance Jones will win the job, but with the 6-foot-8 Trapilo in the mix, it’s not going to be easy. Their competition makes this one of Chicago’s most interesting — and ultimately important — positional battles.