We need to talk about Braxton Jones; other gutless wonders

Braxton Jones is in over his head at left tackle

General manager Ryan Poles failed to put together a competent offensive line this season. The passing protection has been awful through four weeks. The running game has been effective, except during the Bears’ obvious running downs–third or fourth and whatever. Especially in the red zone. Poles’ decision to build an offensive line with rookie fifth-round draft pick Braxton Jones at left tackle was an obvious blunder.

It was known before the season that Jones would struggle with that position. Jones, who played college football at the non-Power Five school Southern Utah, would be asked to play in Week 1 what most (Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has said the guard position in his system is more “stressed mentally” than the tackle.) offensive line experts think is the most challenging position on the line, left tackle. It’s not his fault necessarily because he shouldn’t have been in the position, to begin with, but Jones has flunked the test so far at left tackle.

Braxton Jones has given up sacks

Braxton Jones has been abysmal in pass protection. According to PFF, he’s given up 11 total pressures this season. He’s averaging giving up a sack a game. PFF also rates Jones as the NFL’s 70th best offensive tackle in 2022. Sunday against the Giants, Jones’ mistakes cost the Bears two drives. A sack he gave up resulted in a fumble.

Bears lineman Sam Mustipher and Braxton Jones give up Fields quickly pic.twitter.com/7nbwqVW0lM

— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 3, 2022

A false start on third-and-ten backed the team up to a range he and his gutless wonder teammates couldn’t block long enough for FIelds to throw it past. That was a costly penalty by Braxton Jones.

Braxton Jones with a drive killing penalty pic.twitter.com/VsH6eTmT9O

— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 3, 2022

The Bears media tried pumping up this rookie with publicity before the season. But four games in, we’re seeing that Jones is not ready to protect Fields’ blindside.

The Bears’ offensive line is all kinds of bad

Braxton Jones isn’t the only offensive lineman playing badly. ( His story is just annoying because anyone with a cursory knowledge of NFL football would understand, despite the reports from the Bears in training camp, that Jones would play poorly this season.) Pass protection is a problem for the unit as a whole.

It’s not just their physicality that is concerning. Although that is a problem. Here’s a clip of Lucas Patrick waddling backward from a bull rush as he gives up a sack.

Lucas Patrick, who the #Bears liked at guard over Jenkins recently, waddles backwards into Fields pic.twitter.com/kS12kXnim6

— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 3, 2022

They seem to lack awareness of what’s coming their way from the defense. Here center Sam Mustipher helps guard Teven Jenkins with a double team as the giants bring pressure in the middle of the line. Mustipher was another level of bad in Week 4.

Watch #Bears Center Mustipher go for the double team with Jenkins instead of blocking the blitzed pic.twitter.com/uD3bZdoZzo

— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 3, 2022

The running assignments aren’t perfect, either. On an import third-and-two, late in the fourth quarter and with the Bears trailing eight points, Larry Borom misses his assignment on a linebacker in the inside zone scheme.

Watch Larry Borom whiff on his assignment pic.twitter.com/UVwVc2owts

— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 3, 2022

But the passing protection was a major problem for the Bears against the Giants. The offensive line doesn’t seem to know how to pick up a blitz.

Another bad pass block against the blitz for the #Bears Sunday pic.twitter.com/5lAX5KdFay

— Jordan Sigler (@JordanSig) October 3, 2022

Hopefully, this can be corrected before the end of the season

Sunday’s performance wasn’t an anomaly. According to Courtney Cronin with ESPN, Fields has been sacked 16 times this season.

Justin Fields has taken 16 sacks through 4 games, which is tied for the 2nd most by a Bears QB in that stretch since the 1970 merger, trailing only Jay Cutler in 2010 (17). @ESPNStatsInfo

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) October 2, 2022

The Bears gave up the most sacks in the NFL in 2021 with 58. The Bears are on pace to give up 68 this season. It’s hard for the passing offense to succeed with this kind of play. The Bears won’t be able to fix the offensive line altogether this season. That would require the team to bring in new and expensive talent to replace Braxton Jones and Mustipher, at the least. But the Bears need to fix their miscommunication in assignments. Otherwise, this group of gutless wonders will have found a way to be worse than last year’s unit.

 

 

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