Braxton Jones exited the Bears’ game on Sunday, and the severity of his injury suggested a lengthy absence would be forthcoming. The third-year left tackle is indeed facing a long road to recovery. 
Jones had his left leg placed in an air cast before being carted off the field during Chicago’s loss to Detroit. Further examination is required at this point, but the initial indications point to a season-ending injury. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Jones is believed to have suffered a fractured ankle.
Per Rapoport, Jones is currently thought to have suffered a break in his fibula, but not his tibia. While that diagnosis could of course change based on further testing, a four-month recovery timeline is now in place. At a minimum, the 25-year-old will not be available for the Bears’ final two games this season. Jones will indeed undergo season-ending surgery, per Scott Bair of the Marquee Sports Network.
Jones has operated as Chicago’s starter on the blindside since arriving as a rookie. The former fifth-rounder has remained consistent in terms of PFF evaluation throughout his career, ranking 19th amongst qualified tackles in overall grade in 2022. That matches where Jones currently ranks this season, one which has been defined in no small part for the Bears by an inability to consistently provide strong blocking up front. Jones has been charged with five sacks and 26 pressures allowed, but his absence will be felt to close out the campaign.
Kiran Amegadjie is in an option to take over blindside duties in the wake of Jones’ absence. The third-round rookie has seen 126 total snaps in 2024, all at the left tackle spot. Amegadjie got the nod for Week 15 against the Vikings with Jones out due to a concussion, but he struggled in that contest. Overall, quarterback Caleb Williams has taken a league-leading 60 sacks partially due to the Bears’ struggles along the O-line.
That unit will be the subject of considerable scrutiny this offseason, and few certainties exist up front for Chicago heading into 2025. Jones has one more year remaining on his rookie contract, meaning he will be eligible for an extension shortly. Regardless of if he receives one, he will not be on the field again until next year.
That unit will be the subject of considerable scrutiny? No kidding. The real question is why wasn’t it until now? The two major FA signings were Nate Davis and Ryan Bates which were both horrible failures.They need to sign a really good FA Tackle no matter what it costs. Then their first 4 draft picks need to be O Lineman. That unit needs to be remade. They also need to draft a stud RB. Swift needs to be a 3rd down back. Johnson is proving to be brittle. Funny but the best guy they had was Herbert and they traded him for nothing. There’s still a lot of work to do on this team, But the first thing is finding the best HC and GM tandem they can find. Poles has had as many misses as hits and now he’s whining. Maybe it’s time to see if Ian Cunningham and Ben Johnson are the right tandem for the job, I averaged watching 18 minutes for the last 3 games before I switched over to watching Worlds Dumbest reruns on my DVR. It’s the same thing. It all went wrong when Eberflus was asked to be invited back and now he’s failed 2 First Round QB’s. One dumb move after another. They need to start over from the GM on down AT THE SAME TIME for just once in my lifetime. And that’s getting shorter at 68.