LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Braxton Jones will start at left tackle for the Chicago Bears during their season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
Jones, Chicago's incumbent left tackle with 40 starts over the last three seasons, was in competition throughout training camp with three other hopefuls: rookie second-rounder Ozzy Trapilo, practice squad member Theo Benedet and 2024 third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie.
Jones won the job upon playing every rep with quarterback Caleb Williams and the offensive starters in preseason games against Buffalo and Kansas City. He also spent the last two weeks of camp with the first team in practice.
"He knows what he's doing," coach Ben Johnson said. "Is it perfect every play? No, it's not. But we did see the execution go up over the course of the last few weeks, so there is a trust level in him knowing what to do. We think that's he's going to continue to ascend [with] the more reps that he gets."
Benedet is expected to serve as the backup left tackle, while Trapilo has spent several weeks back at right tackle with the second-team offensive line. Amegadjie, who started two games at left tackle as a rookie, is now practicing at guard.
Johnson waited until Tuesday to announce the starter after the position battle played out over six weeks of camp. He said last week, however, that they're "not afraid to make a change if the performance isn't where it needs to be."
Before he was revealed as the starter, Jones said Tuesday that he believed he had done enough to prove he was worthy of retaining his role entering his fourth season in Chicago.
"I do feel that way," Jones said. "Obviously if there's still something to be shown, there's still something to be shown. But regardless of the case, I've shown up each week and, coming back from this injury, done everything I can, and I'm still getting there, too. Obviously as the season goes, you get better each and every week, so I'm excited for that as well."
On defense, Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who missed all of camp with what he called a "pretty bad" groin injury that he suffered while training away from the team's facility, is nearing a return.
Speaking for the first time since he landed on the non-football injury list in July, Johnson said he's expected to be cleared to return to practice Tuesday but was noncommittal about his availability for Week 1.
"I like to say I can go out there and play, but, I mean, it's definitely hard to," Johnson said. "I feel like if we had a game today, it wouldn't be a thing. But I think really this week will be important for me to get the pads back on, get practices under my belt, game speed, moving around, covering guys, communicating. I think that all will help me. ... [It] just depends on where my body is at."