People wondered if the next string of practices would see the Chicago Bears return their starting lineup to where it was back in May. That meant Larry Borom at left tackle and Teven Jenkins at right tackle. It was a considerable shock when Jenkins got demoted to the second-team offense while Borom shifted to right tackle and rookie Braxton Jones plugged the left side. It was a considerably bigger shock when veteran minicamps began and the alignment had not changed.
Jones was still settled in at the left tackle spot. People choose to view this in a negative light due to the Jenkins issue. That is easy to understand. He’s a former 2nd round pick. That said, it’s hard not to feel somewhat excited about the fact a 5th round rookie has looked good enough in practice to convince his coaches that he might be good enough to deserve a shot with the starting offense.
Rookie Braxton Jones still practicing with the first team at LT, with Larry Borom at RT, backed up by Teven Jenkins. Eberflus and the staff still in the evaluation mode leading into training camp. @WBBMNewsradio
— Jeff Joniak (@JeffJoniak) June 14, 2022
Braxton Jones likely isn’t going anywhere.
Part of that is due to his play on the field as well as the situation with Jenkins. Whatever is happening with the former 2nd rounder isn’t what the coaches want to see. So until he picks his game up, the Bears have an obligation to play the best possible five blockers they can. If Borom is outplaying Jenkins at right tackle, so be it. That means Jones only has to beat out veteran Julie’n Davenport on the left side, and that shouldn’t be difficult.
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The criticisms of him were typical. Many felt Braxton Jones was a great physical talent but hadn’t proven himself against top competition. He’d spent his college career at Southern Utah. It was believed he would need time to adjust to the NFL level. Yet after a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, some wondered if he was more ready than people thought. That was a big reason the Bears grew interested in him.
Mere months later, he is already in place as their starting left tackle. That is not the timetable most people had in their heads. Perhaps things change in training camp. Defensive ends may expose him in pads. If they don’t, the Bears could do something exceedingly rare by starting a rookie Day 3 pick on the blind side of their quarterback.
It’s been stated on here before, that Tevin Jenkins should be placed at right guard. His shorter arms wont hurt him there , and his nasty disposition will definitely help the situation at right guard. I would consider moving him there immediately.
Braxton Jones is taller, heavier, faster, more agile, and more explosive than David Bakhtiari was coming out of college. He has longer arms and bigger hands too. Bakhtiari was drafted in the 4th round from an admittedly higher profile program, but he was still a 4th rounder. When training camp rolled around, he was unexpectedly thrust into the starting line-up at left tackle as a rookie (due to injury, but nonetheless was put into the starting line-up in his first training camp. And at least until a major knee injury sidelined him, he quickly evolved into arguably the best left… Read more »
Again we suffer from the no news cycle. Jenkins has not lost a starting job he never had to begin with. Coaches are looking at combinations. Maybe they like Jones or maybe they just want to look at Jones. None of it matters till the pads come on. Jenkins is a quality RT and has a nasty streak. In about six weeks there will be some practices that matter.
the higher draft picks are always going to get the first look and a longer benefit of the doubt than the lower picks. but that grace period runs out for everyone if they are not producing as expected. the player performing the best on the field ultimately is the one the coaching staff will go with. draft slot counts for very little once the pads go on.
I think it’s great 👍 wouldn’t be a shocker to see a 5th rounder start. He’s got the physical tools. We’ll see like you say in training camp. If it works out all of a sudden the Bears have some nice depth pieces on the line.