Proof Braxton Jones Already Found A Solution To His Biggest Weakness
The Chicago Bears made two big investments to their offensive line this off-season. Nate Davis signed as a free agent to a big deal at $10 million per year. Darnell Wright arrived a month later as the team’s 1st round pick. They will take over the right side of the line moving forward. It is hoped they will raise the floor of this unit, especially in pass protection. However, everybody knows much of this hinges on what happens with Braxton Jones at left tackle. That is the most crucial position of the five, guarding the blind side of the quarterback.
Jones overachieved in many aspects last year. He was a 5th round pick out of Southern Utah, yet managed to play every snap across 17 games. Over that span, he became one of their best blockers in the run game, showcasing his unique quickness and athletic. The problem was he had weaknesses in pass protection. It showed up most often against power rushes due to his high center of gravity and weak anchor. Some wonder if that is something he will ever be able to fix. However, Robert Schmitz of Da Bears Blog showed on YouTube that Jones had already developed solutions to the problem by the end of last season.
The numbers prove this for Braxton Jones too.
Through the first nine games of 2022, he looked every bit like a rookie. Rushers beat him for five sacks and 28 pressures on the quarterback. Then it appears his growing experience and technique work began to catch up. Over the final eight games, rushers only beat him for two sacks and 12 pressures on the quarterback. That is a significant improvement. It’s not like the Bears increased the amount of help they gave him. It was the same number of chips and tight end help he’d gotten before. The difference was how much better his technique and approach were.
Averaged out those eight games to a full season, Braxton Jones would’ve allowed four sacks and 25 pressures. For those curious, that is at the same level as Andrew Thomas and Christian Darrisaw last year. Considering both of them are viewed among the best young left tackles in the league, it’s a great sign. Jones spent all off-season working to improve his core strength. Olin Kreutz tutored him on his hand techniques. He should be far better prepared this season. If that improvement holds from last year, the Bears’ offense is in great shape.