Bears officially name Braxton Jones as starting left tackle for Week 1 vs Panthers

Braxton Jones will be the Chicago Bears' starting left tackle for Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers. It's the fifth straight season he will start there, after beating out three others for the job during training camp.

Jones said he knows his body is operating at higher level than it was a year ago when he was dealing with the lingering effects of a fractured ankle, and now he's taking confidence into Sunday's game.

That doesn't guarantee future starts for Jones, particularly with Ozzy Trapilo's faster-than-expected recovery from a knee injury that knocked him out last year. Jones was benched as the starting left tackle after struggling early in the year. Theo Benedet started for several games before he went down with a quad injury. Trapilo replaced him starting in Week 12 before suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in the Bears' playoff win against the Packers, and it's unclear when he might return to the lineup.

Head coach Ben Johnson said they'll continue to evaluate every position as they learn who this team is early on, but he's got a pretty good sense of third-year quarterback Caleb Williams, and vice versa.

 As Williams put it, all the work they put in on the practice field all camp matters now. And Williams is feeling much more ready for Week 1 in year two with Johnson.

"I'm not necessarily second-guessing coach, or anything like that. You know, obviously, getting a new coach, you're wondering how you're going to gel on game day, how things are going to work out," Williams said. "You know, I would say that's the biggest thing, and then confidence in myself and the playbook and the things that I know. I think that's where I've grown and where we've grown."

Meantime, Johnson said he's seen a fire ignite in cornerback Jaylon Johnson in the back half of training camp.

Johnson, who's feeling healthy after an injury-plagued season in 2025, pointed to a conversation with his head coach.

"We had a talk, and I would say, in my years being here, I've never had talk with a coach saying we've got a chance to win a Super Bowl. So, I think when he said that, it put some things in perspective for me, and I have, we have the opportunity to do something special. So I think for me, it just sparked a different level of my competitive nature that I haven't had since I've been here."

As they prepare for the season opener, the Bears held a lengthy padded practice on Tuesday before a day off on Wednesday. The Bears are relatively healthy, but wide receiver Rome Odunze did not practice on Tuesday. Johnson said they're "hopeful" Odunze will be able to play Sunday, and stressed that his current foot issue is not related to the stress fracture that hampered his play before sidelining him for the last four games of the regular season.

Also, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that there is "some optimism" involving injured cornerback Kyler Gordon, who is away from the team working with his own trainer and could return "a few weeks into the season."