Of all the winners who emerged from Day 1 of the NFL draft on Thursday night at Halas Hall, one who can’t be overlooked is Chicago Bears left tackle Braxton Jones.
More than they could express with words, the Bears showed with their actions that they believe in Jones’ ability to hold down the blind side for new quarterback Caleb Williams. That was clear after general manager Ryan Poles used the No. 9 pick on Rome Odunze, the third wide receiver to come off the board, when he had his choice of the third offensive lineman (or another position).
Nine offensive linemen were selected in Round 1, and all of them — even Duke’s Graham Barton, who went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 26 and who’s projected to play center — are at least capable of playing tackle. The only two off the board when the Bears’ second pick came around were Notre Dame’s Joe Alt (No. 5 to the Los Angeles Chargers) and Alabama’s JC Latham (No. 7 to the Tennessee Titans). Penn State left tackle Olu Fashanu, who played with Williams in high school, was chosen 11th by the New York Jets.
Where things go from here — the Bears owned only two more selections in this draft (No. 75 in Round 3 on Friday night and No. 122 in Round 4 on Saturday) — remains to be seen. But they’re unlikely to replace Jones with a mid-round pick, evidence they have faith that he’ll take a step forward in his third season under offensive line coach/run game coordinator Chris Morgan.
Jones played every snap as a rookie in 2022 after the Bears picked him in the fifth round out of Southern Utah, and he made 11 starts last season, missing Weeks 3 through 8 with a neck injury that hampered him even after his return. Although Jones had 10 penalties last season, six came in the first two games (when left guard Teven Jenkins was on injured reserve), so there’s reason to believe that shouldn’t be a continuing issue.
“I was proud of Braxton,” Poles said in January. “He’s got a long way to go to reach his ceiling. But for his path … not many people look at the schedule for a player who goes into the offseason, Senior Bowl, combine, comes in as a fifth-round pick, battles through camp, gets a spot and then plays every single snap through a season.
“That’s an accomplishment right there. That tells me he’s wired right. He’s got mental toughness, rode the ups and downs.”
This is a critical season for Jones’ career arc. If he plays well, he’ll set himself up to be rewarded with a new contract before the 2025 season. If he struggles or plateaus, the Bears will have a clear need when looking ahead to free agency and the draft.
For the crowd that believes the Bears’ best choice would have been adding protection for Williams with a bookend to right tackle Darnell Wright, picked at No. 10 a year ago, there isn’t a lot of solace in playing wait-and-see with Jones when a plug-and-play tackle was available.
Photos: Inside the Chicago Bears’ NFL draft party at Soldier Field
No one has lived through this discussion longer than former Bears center Olin Kreutz, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who watches film year-round and trains linemen. You can’t tell Kreutz something about line play he doesn’t know, and he has lobbied for help since his playing days, recalling instances when he implored former coach Lovie Smith to seek reinforcements in the trenches only to see the team continue to devote resources to the defense.
“They must believe in Braxton a lot,” Kreutz said. “Basically, that is what Poles is going to be judged by. Caleb Williams versus C.J. Stroud and the rest of the quarterbacks and then Olu Fashanu versus Odunze.
“How do you not take the left tackle? I still can’t figure that out. I like Odunze. He’s awesome. But I don’t know how you don’t take the left tackle with the problems they’ve had. Look at (Chargers coach) Jim Harbaugh; he went and took Alt. You’ve got a former quarterback who wants to win in the trenches and you’ve got two former O-linemen (Poles and assistant GM Ian Cunningham) who want to win with skill players. It’s interesting.”
Wright was the first offensive lineman the Bears selected in the top 10 since taking Hall of Famer Jimbo Covert at No. 6 in 1983. Odunze is the fourth wide receiver they’ve picked in the top 10 in that span after Curtis Conway (No. 7 in 1993), David Terrell (No. 8 in 2001) and Kevin White (No. 7 in 2015).
Morgan will be tasked with boosting the line play with a new center: Ryan Bates will get first shot at the job over Coleman Shelton. Jenkins struggled at the end of last season, and right guard Nate Davis had an uneven year after signing a three-year, $30 million contract. The Bears hope Wright’s ability to focus on football this offseason — not preparing for the draft — will help him achieve natural growth.
“That O-line is going to be interesting,” Kreutz said. “They keep repeating (faith) in the O-line coach. Didn’t (former GM) Ryan Pace say that about Juan Castillo? How many times are we going to do this? Mike Tice is going to fix us? We were terrible. I’m sitting at my locker and you’re saying, ‘Olin, what’s wrong with the O-line?’ I’m like, ‘Holy (smokes), have you looked at us?’”
Adding Odunze makes sense for a number of reasons. The Bears were always likely to lean toward offense with that pick because they want to do everything in their power to support Williams and they’ve made significant investments on defense. Over the last five seasons, the Bears totaled 100 touchdown passes — the fifth-fewest in the league — and roster construction often comes down to adding players who can score touchdowns or prevent them.
There’s a belief that simply by swapping out quarterbacks, the pass protection will improve. Justin Fields was prone to taking too many pressures and sacks because of his propensity to hold the ball and his struggles to work through progressions from the pocket.
Williams needs to improve in that area, but he doesn’t have a track record for waiting to see receivers open and the ball comes out quickly. If he can play within the structure of the offense more consistently, it will naturally make life easier for the line.
Even though it’s a talented and deep receiver class that left ample talent on the board as Round 2 began, most evaluators drew a clear line between the top three — Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Odunze — and the rest. The Bears can say they acquired one of the best from a potentially banner group, and Odunze isn’t just a versatile and physical talent who’s dangerous after the catch. He’s also aces as a teammate.
The trade for Keenan Allen provided Poles with flexibility entering the draft, so he wasn’t forced into choosing a receiver. But it would have been a questionable long-term plan to extend DJ Moore and then re-up with Allen, giving the Bears two wideouts near the top of the league’s pay structure.
Allen, who turns 32 on Saturday, still serves a great purpose this season. He should be a third-down magnet for Williams, the kind of receiver that keeps drives alive. Whether he wants to be a mentor or not isn’t a big deal. He’ll be a good player for Odunze and others to learn from just by observing how he goes about his business. And Allen should be motivated to perform for another big payday.
From a resource allocation standpoint, Odunze’s four-year contract will cost $22.7 million — less than the $23.1 million the team will pay Allen this season. Add a club option for a fifth season in 2028, and it’s easy to see why it was prudent to pair Moore with a receiver on a cost-controlled contract down the road.
There really wasn’t a wrong answer for the Bears in choosing between a wide receiver and an offensive tackle at No. 9. To make it right, Jones has a grand opportunity in front him, one full of implications for 2025 and beyond.
