Braxton Jones was by far the biggest surprise of 2022. Nobody saw a 5th round pick out of Southern Utah becoming the starting left tackle for the Chicago Bears. They especially didn’t see him playing every single snap. That is a testament to his toughness, resiliency, and effective play. By the end of the season, Jones was arguably their best run-blocker up front. However, not everything went smoothly. Jones had frequent stretches of struggling in pass protection. He would be the first to admit as much. That is why he entered the off-season on a mission to fix those issues.
The problem was how to go about it. Offensive line coach Chris Morgan remains a big help, but there can always be more a player can do. So Jones decided to reach out elsewhere. If you want to be good in the NFL, it would make sense to learn from somebody that was exactly that for years. Enter Olin Kreutz. The six-time Pro Bowl center and Bears legend was spotted putting Jones and teammate Ja’Tyre Carter through hand-fighting drills. Jones spoke on the CHGO Sports podcast with Adam Hoge and Nicholas Moreano about how much Kreutz has already corrected, not only in his game but also in his workout habits.
Braxton Jones knew his biggest problem.
It was evident several times over the course of last season. He struggled against the bull rush. Edge rushers often discovered they could drive him into the backfield due to his inability to drop anchor with his hips and reset his feet. That is what Kreutz was talking about. It requires a certain amount of power that wasn’t there. This shouldn’t be a surprise. Most small school programs don’t have the same strength and conditioning staffs that NFL teams do. It was always going to be a tough transition to the pro level.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Having somebody like Kreutz to guide him is a huge advantage. People forget he was never the biggest guy at 6’2, 292 lbs. Yet he still managed to tangle with some of the biggest defensive linemen in the NFL each week. He did that by hitting the weights hard and marrying his feet with his hands. That is what Braxton Jones must do. If he takes the lessons he’s getting to heart, the young tackle has a chance to get much better in the coming months. That would be great for the Bears.
I’m secretly in love with Martin. It’s just hard for me to show my true feelings. I’m working on it though.
Sid L: You’re just a miserable person. Nothing constructive in your comments. All you do is attack Martin and it’s getting really old. Give it a rest dumba**.
I think Braxton Jones is going to make a big leap forward this year. I was surprised he was able to start at left tackle and last there all year coming as a 5th round draft choice from 1-10 Southern Utah. From what I can tell he’s motivated to get better and an off season with the Bears strength staff and in their training facility is going to give him the strength to deal with bull rushed back plus not being a rookie. Hopefully the Bears have a solid left tackle for years to come.
Sid give it a rest will ya. There is nothing wrong with Martins comments on here and he doesnt start crap or get personal unlike others
LittleBigToe – – Completely agree with your assessment regarding Martin Melhus – always well researched with thoughtful insight. As with most of us who comment on this forum, we are FANS – – we don’t pretend to know more then those tasked with improving the Bears roster – we just sit back and enjoy the process.