Bears Make Feelings Clear on Benching Braxton Jones vs. Raiders
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Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t shy away from explaining why he benched left tackle Braxton Jones against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Johnson yanked Jones — a 43-game starter — from the Bears’ lineup early in the second quarter against the Raiders after All-Pro pass rusher Maxx Crosby bullied him on their first several drives. He replaced him by moving Theo Benedet, their fill-in right tackle, to the left side and inserting rookie Ozzy Trapilo to play his first NFL snaps on the right.
Why? Because he believed Trapilo, a second-round pick, could spark them on offense.
“He’s a guy that just keeps getting better each and every week,” Johnson said of Trapilo, the Bears’ No. 56 overall pick this past spring’s NFL draft. ‘‘We were just at the point where we weren’t doing a whole lot on offense, and we felt like it might give us a spark.’’
While Crosby remained a threat all game, the Bears did a much better job holding him in check on the 40 snaps in which Benedet and Trapilo manned the tackle positions. The offense, as Johnson had hoped, also sparked to life after the change was made, accomplishing enough in the second half to eke out a 25-24 win in the final minute.
Whether the Bears will keep Jones on the bench moving forward is currently unclear, but they will have time to work through their options next week during their bye.
The Bears (2-2) will not play again until they meet the Washington Commanders (2-2) on October 13 for Monday Night Football in Week 6.
Braxton Jones Has Not Looked the Same Since Injury
The Bears knew they would need to show some patience with Jones coming off a season-ending injury in 2024. He had fractured his ankle in Week 16’s game against the Detroit Lions on December 22 and needed most of the 2025 offseason to fully recover.
Now back at full strength, though, Jones has not looked like quite the same player.
Jones, a 2022 fifth-round pick, has never been a stellar left tackle, but he did modest work in his first three seasons. He allowed the lowest pressure percentage (6.4%) of his career in the 12 games he played for the Bears in 2024 before his season-ending injury.
But since returning from injury, Jones has been a borderline disaster. He allowed 13 pressures and two sacks in his first three games of the season. Then, according to Pro Football Focus, he allowed two pressures and two quarterback hurries on just 17 pass-blocking snaps (17) against the Raiders before Johnson moved him to the bench.
For reference, Benedet and Trapilo also allowed two pressures and two quarterback hurries, but they each played more than double the number of snaps that Jones did. Jones also allowed the worst pressure percentage (11.8%) among the three of them.
That’s not a strong endorsement for Jones to remain the Bears’ left tackle, nor does it make it very likely that they will work to extend him before he hits free agency in 2026.
Could Ozzy Trapilo Start at Left Tackle After Bye Week?
The Bears haven’t committed to keeping Jones on the bench just yet, but Johnson made it clear when he named Jones their Week 1 starter that he reserved the right to make a change at the position during the team’s bye week, if he felt they needed someone else.
If Jones is out, though, could the Bears possibly replace him with Trapilo instead?
Trapilo played exclusively on the right side against the Raiders during his NFL debut and has been training on that side of the line since the Bears stopped giving him first-team reps at left tackle in training camp. While he started his final 24 games at right tackle for Boston College, though, he also started 12 games at left tackle earlier on.
Given their adjustments in Week 4, Benedet seems like the more likely choice to take over for Jones at left tackle, but don’t discount Trapilo — who has gradually earned the trust of the coaching staff — as a legitimate contender for the long-term starting job.
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby Rips Ashton Jeanty Critics
Ashton Jeanty finally had a breakout game for the Las Vegas Raiders, but it’s tainted a bit due to his team losing. Despite rushing for 138 yards and scoring three total touchdowns, the Raiders lost 25-24 to the Chicago Bears.
While it’s hard to find many silver linings amid a 1-3 start to the season, the team should feel good about the fact that Jeanty looks like the real deal. Questions about how good he is started to creep in after he had a lackluster three-game stretch to start his career.
Since Jeanty played at Boise State, many started to speculate that he only had so much success in college due to the fact that he played at a smaller school. Even if he doesn’t develop into an All-Pro running back, he at least showed that he can be an above-average starter.
Star defensive end Maxx Crosby has formed a close relationship with Jeanty in their brief time as teammates, and he called everybody who doubted the rookie after just three games.
“He looked awesome,” Crosby said of Jeanty after the game. “Everybody has their opinions about (expletive) in September. Now, they’re gonna jump on the bandwagon. … It happens every year. He’s an incredible player. He’s gonna keep getting better. I love the way he works.”
Crosby Calls Jeanty An ‘Animal’
Jeanty is further proof that it’s difficult for a running back to have success when the offensive line is playing poorly. The Raiders’ offensive line had their best game in Week 4, so it makes sense that Jeanty had his best game.
Once he was able to get into the open field, it quickly became clear what makes him a dynamic player. Crosby never had a doubt that Jeanty would eventually put together a big game.
“He shows it every day,” Crosby said. “Even his numbers leading up to this game – he has more yards after contact than total yards. I don’t even know how that’s possible. He’s an animal.”
Pete Carroll Addresses Loss
The Raiders are a team that wants to run the ball, so the fact that they ran for 240 yards and still lost is a huge blow. A major reason for the loss was Geno Smith’s three interceptions.
It’s going to be difficult for any team to win when they lose the turnover battle. Head coach Pete Carroll was clearly disappointed by the loss, and specifically, Smith’s turnovers.
“Those are huge plays in the first half, third down opportunities, third down conversions, and everything on both plays was the same thing, and then when we fell for it and screwed it up,” Carroll told reporters after the game. “You can’t expect to turn the ball over like that and win. It doesn’t happen, but we overcame it because the defense was so spectacular in the first half making those stops. They were great, and it gave us a chance. The score could have been ridiculous after the first quarter, but it wasn’t, and so we learn. We grow, and we have to do better.”
