It was a pretty uneventful season for the Chicago Bears, but there were some individual standout performances, including rookie left tackle Braxton Jones. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Jones was named to the Pro Football Writers of America’s 2022 All-Rookie Team, it was announced Tuesday.
The Bears offensive line struggled immensely in 2022, but Jones and second-year pro Teven Jenkins were the bright spots.
Jones, a fifth-round draft pick, quickly emerged as the favorite at left tackle. Jones played every snap at left tackle this season, and he was the only player to play every snap on Chicago. Jones had his share of struggles, which was to be expected, and it’s clear he needs to bulk up and get stronger this offseason. But he was one of the more consistent offensive linemen for the Bears in 2022.
Jones was Chicago’s second-highest graded offensive player by Pro Football Focus at 75.4. He earned strong marks both in pass protection (70.5) and run blocking (79.4), ranking second as a run blocker and fourth in pass protection among rookie offensive linemen. Jones was the 12th highest-graded rookie in the entire NFL.
Safety Jaquan Brisker was another name thought to be in consideration. But he was edged out by Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton and Houston’s Jalen Pitre.
