A 2022 fifth-round pick, Jones has been the Bears’ starting left tackle since the opening game of his rookie season. The Southern Utah product spent the offseason rehabbing a broken ankle he sustained in the second-to-last game last year. On Thursday, Jones candidly discussed the mental and physical challenges he faced while recovering from surgery.
“Early on, there were a lot of things that I was battling, in terms of being my first serious, serious injury,” Jones said. “It makes you look in the mirror and be like, ‘What are you going to do to get back? What are the things you’re going to do and how hard are you going to work to get back?’
“There were some days where I woke up and I was like, ‘I don’t feel like doing much today.’ But I continued to get up. The training room pushed me. Everyone pushed me. I have a great support system, family that supported me and people that supported me early on that I appreciate too.
“This injury has definitely been very tough on me. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I feel good, just to be out there with the guys, running and feeling like myself again.”
Enduring months of monotonous rehab and recovery taught Jones to be patient.
“I learned a lot of patience,” he said. “After getting surgery, I had to be patient with myself and patient with the people around me. Honestly, I stepped on a lot of toes during that process early on. It was hard to realize that I needed to be more patient with people and allow them to help me, allow them to do things for me.
“When you’re healthy, you’re go, go, go, go. Then when you’re down like that and injured, you have to be patient and learn that it’s a process.”