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Sep 21, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones (70) after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images
The Chicago Bears 2025 season was a massive success by almost any standard, but that doesn’t mean that there weren’t several underperformers on the Bears’ roster. Several names didn’t match expectations, ranging from disappointing sophomore seasons (Rome Odunze), to injury riddled campaigns (Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson), and underwhelming free agent signings (Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo).
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The unfortunate reality is that not all of these players will have a bounce-back season in 2025, though I suspect a few from this list will absolutely turn around the narrative.
Which Chicago Bear will have the biggest bounce-back season in 2026?
Names like Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Rome Odunze are going to remain popular for this exercise – and for good reason. They are all young, talented players who have proven themselves for stretches across their careers. However, a name that I think is already getting overlooked is Braxton Jones.
Jones, the presumed starting LT for the Bears in 2026, found himself out of the mix when Ozzy Trapilo earned the starting job midway through 2025. As Trapilo cemented himself as the season progressed, it felt like Jones was on his way out of town; until Trapilo’s injury in the postseason. Given the severity and timeline of Trapilo’s injury, Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles was right to re-sign Jones to a 1-year prove it deal.
Many may be wary of having Braxton Jones as our starter on the blindside this season. I mean, he did give up 2 sacks in 4 starts last season before being replaced by Trapilo. Lest we forget, Jones was coming off of a season ending injury in 2024 himself, fracturing his fibula in December 2024. Entering the 2025 offseason, Jones found himself in the middle of rehab, entering camp underweight at 295 lbs. Pair this with a new Head Coach in Ben Johnson and his new 2nd round draft pick in Trapilo, and Jones was behind the eight ball.
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Still, Braxton Jones is a proven starter who, in his peak, was at least league average. Jones’ strengths included above average athleticism – I’ll never forget his block in space against Green Bay in 2024 that sprang Swift loose for a touchdown, his footwork, and general savviness. His weakness came down to one thing…anchor. Jones has long been plagued by his inability to anchor a block in the face of a bull rush.
Which is honestly one of the reasons I am so bullish on Jones having a bounce-back season. Several accounts of coaches and players have noted that Jones looks significantly improved physically than where he was in the 2025 offseason.
Ben Johnson noted “I think this is the best his body has felt in a while as well. So, we’re really encouraged with where he is at right now.” Meanwhile, Guard Jonah Jackson shared “But this year, he looks like a house. He’s moving well. Just in individual (work). We haven’t really been able to go one on one yet, but his movement and confidence in what he’s doing has been exponentially different from last year.”
Even Jones himself chimed in to say “This was the first one since, I think my second or rookie year where truly getting that full offseason, not dealing with anything after. Being able to go out there and just rep it over and over again and have such a great coach like Dan, who is just on me about the small details.”
All of this is to say that Jones has a golden opportunity in front of him, and everything suggests that he is locked in and ready to take it. He is healthy, stronger, and already impressing those around him — and I think he is going to have a huge bounce-back year as a result.
Now it’s your turn! Which Chicago Bear do you think will have the biggest bounce-back in 2026? Sound off in the comments!
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