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week to week with the knee. bears have been running great but they'll miss him.
Jones has earned a real chance to reclaim the job because the tape includes plenty of competent starting work. Health and consistency are the separating factors in a crowded left-tackle competition.
Strengths: Extensive starting experience, athletic movement, scheme familiarity and resilience through injuries.
Weaknesses: Recent knee and prior leg injuries have cut into availability, and he must prove he can hold the spot all season.
Jones has already beaten the odds as a fifth-round pick with 44 starts at left tackle. His feet and length fit what Chicago wants, and he has stretches where he looks like a perfectly capable starter. The problem is that he has played 11, 12 and then six games over the last three seasons. I have him at a six because the experience is real, but the one-year deal and crowded competition reflect the truth: health and power protection have kept the job from feeling settled.
Strengths: He moves well for a 6-foot-5 tackle, uses length to steer rushers around the pocket and has extensive experience protecting the blind side. Jones is comfortable in space and understands the timing of Chicago's offense.
Weaknesses: Availability is the central concern after three straight injury-interrupted years. Bull rushers can compress him when his pad level rises, and he has not developed the anchor consistency needed to make the position unquestionably his.
