The last thing tackle Braxton Jones needed during training camp and preseason while engaged in a three-way fight for a starting spot was a knee injury or injury of any kind.
He suffered knee pain anyway, but Jones considers himself fortunate to have gotten through it quickly and has emerged ready to take on the Carolina Panthers as starter in Sunday's opener. How long he'll be in that starting role is the real uncertainty.
"Just a small little thing that I’ve always kind of dealt with, just my right knee, pushing off but nothing big," Jones said Tuesday in the Bears' locker room. "I was very frustrated because I know every rep counts, everything is being watched. It was important to me. As I realized, that was probably perfect for me and I was able to come back and finish this camp strong."
Jones called the pain only tendinitis. It had nothing to do with the ankle injury he suffered late in 2024 that caused his start to 2025 to be a disaster.
"I think we all deal with it," Jones said. "Some it’s just more painful than others. I just needed to do a better job managing it."
