At the end of last season, Braxton Jones let himself think about something he had put off most of the year.

The Chicago Bears had just lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoff. Injuries had limited Jones to six games, and his contract was set to expire. After stopping himself from pondering the future, Jones finally wondered what was next for him.

“Shoot, there was a lot of conversation here and there,” Jones said Wednesday at Halas Hall in Lake Forest during the second day of mandatory minicamp. “Obviously, [I] just was trying to get back to a place where I had an opportunity to start and show my talent. And that’s really what it was, from conversation with them, as well as with myself. And now I’m just glad to be in a position where I have the opportunity to start and give my best every day.”

Jones, who re-signed with the Bears this offseason, had a rollercoaster 2025 in what was a wild season for Chicago.

He had been the team’s starter at left tackle for three seasons before head coach Ben Johnson took over last year. But an ankle injury he suffered toward the end of 2024 limited him for most of the offseason and into training camp.

The Bears named Jones the starter to open the season after a competition. But after four games, the Bears pulled Jones against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4 and replaced him with Theo Benedet. Ozzy Trapilo ultimately became the starter while Jones dealt with a knee injury that kept him on injured reserve until the playoffs.

Jones said he never fully trusted his lower half last season, even though he thought he was in a good place health-wise. That doubt stopped Jones from reaching his potential and led to the toughest year of his career.

“You really can’t live in those lows and highs, like you just got to keep on moving, keep on pushing, and that’s what we’re all trying to do,” Jones said. “So obviously it was up and down, but I’m so grateful for everything that’s happened, genuinely.”

Jones will again be in a position to win back his old starting job. Trapilo injured his patellar tendon in the NFC Wild Card against Green Bay and likely could miss most, if not all, of next season.

The Bears will have an open competition once again. Jones and Kiran Amegadjie have gotten snaps with the first team at minicamp. Theo Benedet and Jedrick Wills Jr. have also taken snaps at the spot.

Johnson and his staff won’t have a chance to fully gauge who can be their starter until they put pads on in training camp next month. But he was encouraged by what he’s seen.

“All those guys right now are doing a phenomenal job in the drill work, taking the coaching from the coaches there and looking to apply it as much as we can, as much as the rules allow,” Johnson said. “But once again, it’s hard to say who’s up, who’s down, who’s trending sideways. You really can’t say a whole lot right now, but I do think he would probably tell you ... he’s a lot more comfortable in what’s being asked of him and hopefully the game continues to slow down.”

Jones balked at the idea that the left tackle job was his to lose when asked about it Wednesday. The Bears will likely give him the head start once training camp starts.

But Jones called it “night and day” in terms of how he feels not having to rehab an injury during the offseason. Jones believed that he could prove to be the starter once he got snaps during training camp.

“I think the amount of reps I can get and just turning the body, making sure everything’s rolling, and taking as many reps that I possibly can is going to be the biggest thing to set me apart,” Jones said. “And then everything will come after that.”

Breaking a Sweat

Amidst the questions surrounding the Bears’ pass rush, Johnson voiced his support for the team’s top pass rusher, Montez Sweat.

“My appreciation grew even more – and I loved him during the season – but when you watch the self-scout after the year, I think this was a guy that played at a very high level," Johnson said. “I talked to him [Tuesday] about, hey, I would argue it was the best year of his career. Whether that showed up statistically or not, that’s debatable, but his ability to play the run, play the pass, I thought he did a really nice job, and hopefully it’s something we can piggyback on and carry that momentum into this year.”

Sweat had one of the best seasons of his career, even if it didn’t feel like it at times.

He played in all 17 regular-season games and two more in the playoffs for the first time since Bears general manager Ryan Poles traded a second-round pick for him in 2023. Sweat finished with 10 sacks, the most he’s had with one team in a season, along with 18 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles.

Sweat has focused on fundamentals and his get-off, like the rest of the defensive line this offseason. He’s also heard the doubt about the defensive line from outside Halas Hall.

“You hear the chatter,” Sweat said. “It is what it is. Everybody has an opinion. We’ve just got to go out there and do what we’ve got to do. But I hear you.”

Practice highlights

The offense and defense both made plays during team drills Wednesday.

Quarterback Caleb Williams led the first-team offense from its own 40-yard line thanks to a long pass completed to running back D’Andre Swift. Swift then ran the ball in unblocked on the next play for a short touchdown.

“You really can’t live in those lows and highs, like you just got to keep on moving, keep on pushing, and that’s what we’re all trying to do. So, obviously it was up and down, but I’m so grateful for everything that’s happened, genuinely.”

Williams also showed off his connection with new wide receiver Kalif Raymond on the next drive starting in the red zone. He completed a pass to Raymond to get to the goal line before scrambling on the next play and eventually finding Raymond in the corner of the end zone.

The Bears’ defense got the last laugh during team drills, however. New safety Coby Bryant stepped in front of a Williams pass in the middle of the field and intercepted it during a two-minute drill.

“Just me being me, honestly,” Bryant said. “The guys up front doing their job. Just everyone playing together and just me making a play.”