Already using the IR-return system to bring back Teven Jenkins, the Bears are moving closer to their left tackle returning. The team designated Braxton Jones for return Wednesday, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
This will start Jones’ 21-day activation clock. The second-year blocker landed on IR due to a neck injury after Week 2. He has been eligible to come back since last week, and given the nature of this injury, it represents a positive the Bears started the clock today. Jones not being activated in three weeks would lead him to season-ending IR. The Bears also designated defensive lineman Khalid Kareem for return from IR.
Jones quickly acclimated to the pro game, going from a fifth-round pick out of a Division I-FCS school (Southern Utah) to becoming the Bears’ Week 1 left tackle as a rookie. Jones started all 17 games as a rookie but encountered a speedbump this year. While last year’s No. 168 overall pick did not miss a snap in Week 2, the neck injury he played through prompted the Bears to exercise caution and stash him on IR.
Chicago has used swing tackle Larry Borom in place of Jones. A former starter whom Riley Reiff displaced at right tackle during the 2022 season, Borom now has 22 career starts on his resume. A fifth-round pick out of Missouri in 2021, Borom has offered experience opposite rookie right-sider Darnell Wright. Pro Football Focus, however, has rated Borom outside the top 60 at tackle this season. PFF rated Jones as a top-20 tackle in 2022.
Jones’ return will stand to help Justin Fields, though the Bears’ blindside bastion may be back before their starting quarterback. Fields is not expected to play in Week 8, leaving Tyson Bagent on track to start another game. The first Division II-developed QB to make an NFL start since 2010, Bagent could play behind the Bears’ five first-string O-linemen. The Bears have five IR activations remaining this season.
The Bears won’t waste an activation on Kareem. When he’s healthy they’ll cut him and resign him to the Practice squad unless somebody claims him. They have wasted half of their activation’s already and still need to activate Herbert. They’re running out.
Not to worry Mike. The Bears can be counted on to win a few meaningless games near the end of the season to sabotage a top drafting spot…lol.
Yeah. There’s no Lovie Smith to help them out this year.
But their is a Frank Reich
That’s just wrong, crosseyed. You WANT your team to win those games. You WANT those players to develop their skills. You DON’T want them to slack off and get used to losing so the team can draft someone to replace them. Your seeming lust for a “top drafting spot” is misplaced. If the team follows your implied advice they would tank every year just to get a hot prospect. No winning allowed, because it messes up our draft prospects. Good god, man, what are you thinking?
This has nothing to do with me. Go back and look at any random season and you’ll find that the teams at the bottom of the standings don’t put any real effort into winning games at the end of the season. Do they gain anything by having 5 wins rather than 2 or 3? GMs would rather have a higher draft position going forward than have those meaningless wins and the owner doesn’t care because he gets the same revenue share no matter how many wins the team has.