The Chicago Bears made Darnell Wright their 1st round pick in the 2023 draft. While that was intended to solve their issue at right tackle, it was also a vote of confidence in Braxton Jones. They never made a move during the off-season that offered any suggestions they were unsure about the former 5th round pick. It isn’t hard to understand why. He started every snap on offense last season, playing far better than anybody of his draft position had any right to. What he showed was enough to convince the team he deserved more time to explore his vast potential.
That said, last season was far from perfect. While Jones excelled as a run blocker down the stretch, his pass protection left plenty to be desired. He undoubtedly has the size and athleticism to play tackle in the NFL. Yet veteran pass rushers didn’t take long to exploit a glaring weakness. Jones lacked power in his anchor. Whenever somebody hit him with a bull rush, he’d get knocked back, collapsing the pocket. Jones acknowledged it was a big issue. So much that he made fixing it his primary focus of this off-season. According to offensive line coach Chris Morgan, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Chicago, it’s already evident the left tackle achieved his goal.
“He had a very detailed plan when he left,” offensive line coach Chris Morgan said of Jones. “You know, Braxton is a mature kid. He’s not even … I call him kid — he’s not a kid anymore. His maturity really showed. Like, what he said he was going to do, he did. Over the break, he worked hard. We all saw a difference when he came back in the building, whether it was strength or whether it was bend.”
Braxton Jones will be a problem if Morgan is correct.
Obviously, the Bears haven’t gotten the chance to see him in action yet. Offensive linemen aren’t allowed to have full contact in practice unless pads are on. That won’t happen until training camp starts in late July. So he hasn’t been put through a live-fire test yet. Still, Morgan has been coaching offensive linemen for years. If he says a guy has improved his power and bend, it’s alright to take his word for it. We know Jones was putting in time with former Bears legend Olin Kreutz, improving his fundamentals.
Nobody can say the guy hasn’t put the time in. He’s laser-focused on taking his game to the next level this year. Opponents won’t have the element of surprise on their side this season. He’s experienced now and well-educated on all the tricks of the trade. If his added strength helps eliminate his issues against the bull rush, then pass rushers may have a hard time getting to Justin Fields at all from that side. If Wright also lives up to his 1st round status, this offensive line could be significantly better in 2023.
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