The Chicago Bears opened training camp on Saturday morning, officially kicking off what is without question one of the most highly-anticipated seasons in recent franchise history. But right out of the gate, the Bears are already contending with a dangerous opponent that every team inevitably faces at some point in the year… the dreaded injury bug. Much like a Zika-carrying mosquito, the injury bug could pop up out of nowhere and ruin an afternoon. The effects can linger for weeks. And it could make even the most optimistic outlook suddenly seem murky.
Fortunately for the Bears, the two injuries of note that they’re dealing with after a light, walkthrough-like day one of camp are considered to be relatively minor. The bad news: it’s two starters who have thus far been bit.
“Bears coach Matt Eberflus said today that LT Braxton Jones and LB T.J. Edwards will be limited early in camp,” tweets Colleen Kane of The Chicago Tribune. “Eberflus said it’s ‘nothing major’ and said they’re ‘close’ to getting back. Larry Borom filled in for Jones at left tackle for some of practice.”
TJ Edwards is coming off of a season in which he recorded 155 tackles and three interceptions for a Bears defense that improved greatly throughout the year. By season’s end, Edwards was indisputably one of the best, most productive and most reliable players on one of the league’s top performing defenses. And remember, this came on the heels of an offseason in which many analysts questioned Ryan Poles’ decision to trade away Roquan Smith in order to spend money on Edwards and fellow linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Until we know more about what is keeping Edwards sidelined — as of right now, his condition is undisclosed — the potential absence of Braxton Jones is a far bigger concern.
The Bears are putting a lot on the shoulders of Braxton Jones
In the opening week of the 2022 NFL season, Braxton Jones made some impressive NFL history when he became only the sixth rookie drafted in the 5th round or later to start a game at left tackle. Since then, Jones has played (and started) 27 more games. What he does in year three will likely dictate how long his future as the left tackle in Chicago lasts.
The fact that Braxton Jones has been the starter at left tackle in Chicago since he was drafted is a testament to, A) How dire the Bears offensive line situation was two years ago, and B) How impressive the Southern Utah product was right out of the gate. However, after a rookie season that landed him on Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie Team, Jones seemingly regressed in his second season. Potentially a result of an early-season hamstring injury that cost him six games, his PFF grade dropped from 75.4 during his rookie season to 68.8 in year two.
Now, Braxton Jones will be tasked with the job of protecting the blind side of rookie quarterback/savior Caleb Williams. Jones has always been a more productive run blocker than pass blocker, so an expected change in philosophy puts even more pressure on the third-year tackle to take a step forward this year. Ceding training camp snaps to Larry Borom is not the ideal start.
