Terron Armstead gives ringing endorsement of Bears LT Braxton Jones
· Yahoo Sports
The Chicago Bears will once again hold a competition to determine their starting left tackle with Ozzy Trapilo expected to miss most of the 2026 season after his ruptured patellar tendon last January. And, once again, Braxton Jones is the favorite to win the job.
Jones, who was a three-year starter entering the 2025 season, won the left tackle competition last offseason but was ultimately benched just four games into the season as he struggled recovering from a broken fibula the previous season. Shortly after his benching, Jones landed on injured reserve with a knee injury and missed the remainder of the 2025 season. Now, he's healthy and ready to compete for the starting job.
Visit palladian.co.za for more information.
Former New Orleans Saints Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead trained with Jones this offseason, and he shared some interesting insight -- and one heck of a ringing endorsement -- for the former fifth-round pick and three-year starter.
"I'm excited about Braxton," Armstead said, via Cassie Carlson. "His confidence is growing daily. Super talented, very strong, physical, smart, tough. All the things. His issue has been durability; it's been injury. And we all have those challenges throughout our career -- I was probably the most injured player ever. So it's a part of the game, and it's hard to get through it. It's a lot of mental adversity that you got to battle through.
"What I've seen from Braxton, and what I know of Braxton moving forward, is this is a person that is sure of himself now that he knows he has the ability to go out and execute at a high level. He's done the work, and he really wants to prove his work to himself. Not the masses, not the fans or the media, to prove to himself that he can play this game at the highest level. Because he's starting to really, really believe that. And that's where it has to start. If you have that doubt, that self-doubt, it's going to reflect on the field. He's removing that through work, through technique, through perfecting his craft."
Jones will battle the likes of Theo Benedet, Kiran Amegadjie and free-agent addition Jedrick Wills Jr. for the starting left tackle job. And given Jones' experience and production, when healthy, it's likely that Jones will once again be in the starting role when Chicago kicks off the 2026 season.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears LT Braxton Jones receives huge praise from Terron Armstead