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Bear Necessities: Cody Whitehair has high praise for rookie Braxton Jones

alyssa barbieri
·2 min read
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Bears rookie Braxton Jones has been one of the standouts during training camp, where he’s carved out a role for himself on the offensive line.

Jones has looked like a seasoned pro this summer — both in training camp and preseason — which is why he’s on track to start at left tackle right out of the gate.

Jones has impressed both coaches and teammates, including veteran Cody Whitehair who occupies the left side of the line with him.

“Braxton’s gonna be a good player,” Whitehair said. “The way he studies, the way he understands stuff. He’s very athletic. He’s got great length. He uses his hands well. I really like where Braxton’s at right now.

“You can tell the kid really wants to be a good player.”

Jones got his first reps with the starters during the offseason program, where it was clear he made an impression on the coaching staff. He started training camp as the first-team left tackle and has since emerged as the clear favorite to be the starter come Week 1.

It’s hard to imagine considering Jones was a fifth-round draft pick out of Southern Utah and wasn’t expected to start right out of the gate. But Jones put in the work and it’s paid off.

“I think our department did a really good job finding him,” Whitehair said. “They knew what they were looking for and I think they found a good one in him.”

Story originally appeared on Bears Wire