PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Chicago Bears left tackle Braxton Jones is expected to be limited for training camp months removed from season-ending ankle surgery, according to coach Ben Johnson.
Jones, 26, missed the final two weeks of the 2024 season after Detroit Lions defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike landed on the left tackle's right leg when Jones was in pass protection. While Jones awkwardly collapsed to the ground, his left leg and ankle buckled underneath his body. The former fifth-round pick underwent surgery shortly after Chicago's 34-17 loss to Detroit on Dec. 22.
"I think he's right on track," Johnson said. "Will that mean he's limited in training camp? I would say probably at this point, but I think the progress is right where it needs to be right now."
The former fifth-round pick has started 40 games for the Bears since being drafted in 2022. At the NFL's annual meetings, Johnson noted several areas where he believes Jones can improve this offseason and said he can "absolutely" envision Jones continuing to start at left tackle in the Bears' new offense.
"Listen, the number one thing in my opinion that tackles need to do is pass protect," Johnson said. "So I think he has the feet to get that done. We're going to challenge him to maybe gain a little more weight so that he can anchor a little bit better in pass pro. But everything I've seen so far has shown a phenomenal athlete out there on the edge that we feel like we can work with."
Johnson also said he "believes" safety Jaquan Brisker has been medically cleared after missing the final 12 games of the season with a concussion. Brisker has been diagnosed with a concussion in each of his three NFL seasons but did not express concern about the cumulative effect of his head injuries during a recent interview.
"It really doesn't concern me at all, especially talking with my doctors," Brisker told Clickout Media. "Asking different questions, seeing how healthy my brain is. Everything went well. I got every answer that I needed. There's not a number on concussions. It doesn't say if you get five (your career is over). I know people who probably had, what, six, seven concussions right now in the league that are playing and and got paid. So there's not a number on the concussion. It's just how you feel, where your brain health is, and I'm in a great spot."
Brisker recently described himself as "super healthy" while responding to a fan on Twitter. The reason he said he remained in the NFL's concussion protocol for more than four months was not specifically due to injuries to his head or brain.
"Really, I had to retrain my nervous system," Brisker told Clickout Media. "That is why I took so long. It wasn't my brain, it wasn't my head. It was really my nervous system, and once I retrained that, I felt great."
