The offensive line issues that the Chicago Bears had in 2024 were supposed to be left behind heading into 2025, but through two weeks, second-year quarterback Caleb Williams is under fire even more often than he was last year. According to PFF, Williams has been pressured on 37.5% of his dropbacks, two percentage points higher than last season, and the main culprit of these struggles along the front five is left tackle Braxton Jones.
Last season, Braxton Jones was arguably Chicago’s most reliable offensive lineman, but thus far in 2025, Jones has been responsible for over 40 percent of the pressures that the Bears offensive line has allowed. That’s an unforgivable number, but perhaps it’s one we shouldn’t be too surprised by.
There was a reason why the Bears waited so long to name Jones, who is returning from a season-ending ankle injury, the starting left tackle after a training camp competition with Ozzy Trapilo, Kiran Amegadjie and Theo Benedet. There were legitimate concerns about his health heading into camp, and lingering questions as to whether he could continue to improve and eventually establish himself as a bonafide starting left tackle in the NFL.
But it hasn’t taken long for Braxton Jones to lose his grip on the starting job he won less than one month ago. And Bears head coach Ben Johnson’s recent comments likely have Jones feeling the heat heading into a Week 3 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
“Braxton is doing a good job in terms of knowing the game plan. I think he started the first half of each game really strongly and we probably haven’t had the second half finish that we’ve wanted,” Johnson said earlier in the week, according to Tony Daly of 247Sports. Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar has observed the same thing, saying, “As the games are going, we’ve seen decline in both the first two games. We have to be mindful of that and manage that better.”
To Ben Johnson and Dan Roushar’s point, The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain noted that 9 of the 13 pressures that Jones has allowed this season have come in the 2nd half of games. This can’t stand, and it might force Ben Johnson to consider making a major change along the offensive line.
Is There a Good Fix For Chicago’s Braxton Jones Problem?
The best fix for the Bears offensive line may not necessarily be the simplest fix. The simple fix would be to yank Braxton Jones out of the starting group and supplant him with Trapilo, Benedet or Amegadjie… whomever the Bears coaching staff feels best about. But there’s a reason why that trio couldn’t overtake Jones as the starter during training camp.
Trapilo started strong but petered out and eventually settled in as the backup to Darnell Wright on the right side of the line. Amegadjie still hasn’t developed in the ways that the Bears hoped he would when they selected him in the 3rd Round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Benedet, while a great story and a hard worker, has certain physical limitations that make envisioning him as a down to down starter in the NFL hard to imagine.
So perhaps that leaves Ben Johnson in a position where the Bears decide to move Darnell Wright to the left tackle spot and insert Ozzy Trapilo at right tackle right now. In fairness, this was going to be the plan for 2026 anyway, and while moving Wright to the opposite side of the line midseason is admittedly risky, a Week 5 bye could open the door for Chicago to make such a move with an extra week of preparation to play with.
Thus far this year, Darnell Wright has been lights out. By the numbers, he’s been the best lineman in Chicago and one of the best tackles in the entire NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Now all of this is contingent on Trapilo being ready to step into that starting group. If he is, then Ben Johnson and his staff might be best served to make the change now before it’s too late. Caleb Williams was sacked a league-high 68 times in 2024. He can’t afford to take that kind of beating again in his second season.