The Chicago Bears already got some rough injury news ahead of their Monday night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. Gervon Dexter will be out with a knee injury. Well, it seems the team had one more kick in the nuts coming their way. News dropped on Sunday afternoon that left tackle Braxton Jones suffered a concussion against San Francisco. Symptoms didn’t surface until this weekend, similar to what happened with Jaquan Brisker. He will not play in Minnesota. That is a brutal blow for an offensive line that already struggles to protect Caleb Williams.
The rookie quarterback has been sacked 56 times this season, the most in franchise history. Four games remain, and now their left tackle is out against one of the most aggressive pass rushes in the NFL. Chicago is considering either starting Larry Borom, who has been horrible this year, or rookie Kiran Amegadjie. While it is unlikely to happen, the Bears should at least consider giving Williams the week off. The body can only take so many hits and it’s not like he has anything left to prove.
Yes, a young quarterback needs as much experience as possible. Everybody is paying hard-earned money to see him play. At the same time, the Bears need to think about the future. They were just mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. There is no further point to these remaining four games other than finishing out the string. Caleb Williams has shown you everything you need to see. He owns every Bears rookie passing record, has one of the best TD-to-INT ratios in franchise history, and hasn’t thrown an interception in 255 consecutive passes. The kid can play. Let somebody come in and take the unnecessary hits. Tyson Bagent is a serviceable option.
It is unlikely to happen. Williams is a competitor and will want to play. One can only hope the Bears have some sort of plan to ensure he’s not completely overwhelmed.
