The Bears are set to start a rookie left tackle for the first time in 30 years and Braxton Jones is not going to get a chance to ease his way into the NFL.
49ers defensive end Nick Bosa will be lined up against him for the majority of Sunday’s game in Chicago and the Bears aren’t downplaying what the fifth-round pick will have on his plate this weekend. Quarterback Justin Fields said Jones “knows he’s not going to win every rep” and that the Bears will help out the rookie as much as possible to keep Bosa from wrecking their offensive plans.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy came to the Bears from the Packers and he saw Bosa get two sacks against his former team during last season’s playoff loss.
“It’s a great challenge for him,” Getsy said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Any time you play someone of the caliber as Mr. Bosa presents for you, you’ve got to have a plan. Regardless of who your right or left tackle are, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got a plan. Because he’s someone that can change the game, and you’ve gotta do your best to make sure that you minimize that as much as you can.”
Jones is making the jump from Southern Utah to the NFL, so there was always going to be a learning curve for him to climb in order to thrive as a pro. Facing Bosa should give him a good idea about just how steep that climb can get.
