{"id":767655,"date":"2026-02-21T23:33:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T23:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/767655\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T23:33:32","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T23:33:32","slug":"bears-starting-offensive-lineman-labeled-hidden-gem-ahead-of-nfl-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/767655\/","title":{"rendered":"Bears Starting Offensive Lineman Labeled \u2018Hidden Gem\u2019 Ahead of NFL Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Chicago Bears<\/a>\u00a0closed the 2025 season with real momentum, finishing 11\u20136 and capturing their first NFC North title since 2018. It also marked the franchise\u2019s first playoff appearance since 2020, an immediate statement in Ben Johnson\u2019s first year at the helm.<\/p>\n

For Bears fans, it was an unfamiliar but welcome development, with an offense that finally stabilized, a dependable run game, and an offensive line that, for stretches, looked like one of the NFL<\/a>\u2019s best.<\/p>\n

That structure up front played a major role in the leap from former No. 1 overall pick\u00a0Caleb Williams. Williams delivered his most complete season to date, throwing for 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns against just seven interceptions, while adding 388 rushing yards and three more scores on the ground.<\/p>\n

That breakout campaign shaped expectations for the offseason, with the goal being to keep the core intact, add depth, and avoid scrambling to fix obvious holes along the offensive line.<\/p>\n

Then came a new wrinkle.<\/p>\n

On Friday,\u00a0CBS Sports\u00a0contributor\u00a0Zachary Pereles\u00a0identified<\/a>\u00a0Braxton Jones\u00a0as one of the NFL\u2019s top \u201cunder-the-radar\u201d free agents, a notable designation given how quietly Jones\u2019 2025 season slipped off the radar.<\/p>\n

Pereles pointed to a year derailed by offseason ankle surgery, a rocky Week 1 return, and a subsequent knee injury that ultimately stalled Jones\u2019 momentum. <\/p>\n

More news: New Trade Idea Has Vikings Landing $212 Million QB to Replace JJ McCarthy<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Braxton<\/p>\n

More news: Chiefs Strongly Linked to Explosive 1,000-Yard RB as NFL Free Agency Nears<\/a><\/p>\n

Jones started just four of the six games<\/a> he appeared in, a sharp contrast to the three previous seasons in which he served as a regular starter at left tackle.<\/p>\n

However, to Pereles’ point, context matters.<\/p>\n

Jones is still just 26 years old, and he owns significant starting experience at one of the league\u2019s most premium positions. Plus, prior to the injury setbacks, he had shown steady development following a challenging rookie campaign. <\/p>\n

That combination of youth, experience, and pre-injury trajectory shifts the conversation from liability to potential buy-low value.<\/p>\n

For the Bears, the offensive line was central to the team\u2019s 2025 surge, particularly in the development of Williams. Stability up front helped fuel one of the league\u2019s more efficient passing attacks and a consistently productive ground game, with\u00a0D’Andre Swift\u00a0and rookie\u00a0Kyle Monangai\u00a0both turning in strong seasons.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the potential loss of a former full-time starter at left tackle, even one coming off injuries and a limited 2025, complicates the depth equation for a franchise looking to build on one of its strongest seasons in recent memory.<\/p>\n

More news: AJ Brown\u2019s Mike Vrabel Comments Fuel Patriots Trade Rumors<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The\u00a0Chicago Bears\u00a0closed the 2025 season with real momentum, finishing 11\u20136 and capturing their first NFC North title since…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":767656,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2070],"tags":[374,1706,692,391,2493,7,6],"class_list":["post-767655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago-bears","tag-bears","tag-braxton-jones","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-bears","tag-chicagobears","tag-football","tag-nfl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116111240583583627","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=767655"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767655\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/767656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=767655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=767655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=767655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}