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While there were several possibilities, the Chicago Bears have already revealed that Braxton Jones will be the team’s starting left tackle on Monday night when they take on the Minnesota Vikings. Jones is expected to fill that role all season long.
Ideally, Jones will improve upon the five sacks he allowed and seven penalties committed across 718 snaps throughout the 2024 NFL season. Otherwise, he performed fairly well, grading 21st out of all tackles analyzed by Pro Football Focus.
The Bears also have second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo and last year’s undrafted free agent signee Caleb Benedet as other potential options at left tackle. However, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes the Bears shouldn’t rule out trading for another solution instead.
Specifically, Knox believes the Bears should consider prying offensive tackle Cam Robinson away from the Houston Texans, who appear ready to start their second-round rookie Aireontae Ersery at left tackle instead.
Knox suggests the Bears may be able to land Robinson for the low cost of a fifth-round pick in 2026. Yet, we’re skeptical that he would offer any sort of upgrade over the 26-year-old Jones, who has performed quite admirably for a former fifth-round selection.
Robinson committed 13 penalties and allowed seven sacks across 997 snaps at left tackle last season. He also graded 56th among the 140 tackles who were analyzed. As a reminder from the data pulled earlier in this article, Jones only committed seven penalties while allowing five sacks, and graded 21st.
In other words, Robinson would be a significant downgrade, but he could possibly help the Bears improve their depth, or even replace Jones if an injury occurs. Otherwise, the Bears are much better off holding onto their draft capital to fill other needs in the near future.
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