LAKE FOREST, Ill. – New Bears offensive line coach Dan Roushar has learned a ton watching Braxton Jones compete on tape. There’s another, more unorthodox data point Roushar has added to evaluate the young left tackle.

“I’ve watched him rehab since I’ve been here and, from the morning to the early afternoon, and he is working and making strong improvements right now,” Roushar said on Thursday at Halas Hall. “I can tell you right now, just watching that, I know how he is on the field.”

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Roushar can see the work ethic, the character required to be so diligent working to return from significant ankle surgery than prematurely ended his 2024 campaign. He has seen provide a label.

Overachiever.

That could refer to someone going above and beyond. It could refer to someone playing beyond relatively limited talent.

Here’s what Roushar meant by it.

“One of the greatest compliments I can give a player is being an overachiever,” Roushar said. “And I don’t mean that as disrespectful, the Hall of Fame is full of them. That’s how I view this guy. I think he’s an overachiever. I think he will continue to improve. That’s part of our job collectively, to get the best out of him.”

That’s important considering Jones is currently in line to be the starting left tackle on an upgraded offensive line that will carry high expectations into next season.

Jones must perform well if he assumes that role. That’s a big if, however, with the NFL Draft coming up and a real chance the Bears select an offensive lineman early to challenge his status.

It’s an uncertainty at this point, but the Roushar’s proceeding under the guise of Jones as the current No. 1.

“Braxton has been in that role for the last couple years and the injury was significant,” Roushar said. “If he were healthy today, he would be our left tackle and we would have confidence in him doing the job. That’s going to be a little bit of a process for his recovery but if nothing changed, I would see Braxton being our left tackle at the moment.”

Jones has been solid at that spot since being selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft. He stepped right into the starting lineup and hasn’t left when healthy. Considering his draft slot and that he came from Southern Utah State, expectations weren’t high. His NFL.com draft prospect profile predicts him to be an “average backup or special teamer.” Ouch. Jones has surely outplayed expectation.

Hence the overachiever tag. Jones is an athletic sort and has been a solid player who hasn’t done anything worthy of losing a starting job. It’s a matter of upgrading while trying to form an elite line.

There’s also a financial component here, with Jones entering a contract year. Even medium left tackle money is still pricey. The Bears could secure a highly-touted player on a rookie deal, which allows the Bears to spend big on the interior – as they did last month – or on other spots.

Jones, Roushar and Bears fans everywhere will be curious to see if Ryan Poles takes an offensive tackle high or focuses on other spots. Sticking with Jones isn’t a bad thing, though, considering how he has played and the fact these coaches believe they can make him better.

Head coach Ben Johnson said he’d be comfortable with Jones at that spot, too, and will work to get him in a better spot heading into 2025.

“The No. 1 thing, in my opinion, that tackles need to do is pass protect,” Johnson said at the NFL annual meeting. “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.”