The Chicago Bears have started off the Ben Johnson era with some high highs and low lows. After falling into an 0-2 hole on the year, Chicago has one back to back games to climb to .500 before their Monday Night Football contest against the Washington Commanders.
However, it would appear there’s one starter who lost his job.
The Bears bench a season-long starter ahead of their matchup with the Commanders (Breaking News)
Aug 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson on the field before a game against the Buffalo Bills at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
For Week 6’s Monday Night Football game against the Washington Commanders, the Chicago Bears officially announced a change to their starting lineup:
Bears head coach Ben Johnson announced Saturday that the team will bench veteran Braxton Jones and start Theo Benedet — a former undrafted rookie — in his place at left tackle protecting quarterback Caleb Williams’ blindside against the Commanders.
“Yeah, it’ll be Theo,” Johnson said Saturday when asked who would start at left tackle.
Benedet made his first career NFL start before the bye week, taking over at right tackle for the injured Darnell Wright against the Las Vegas Raiders. He spent the majority of the game at left tackle, though, after the Bears benched Jones and slid him over to take his place early in the second quarter, bringing in Ozzy Trapilo to cover the right side.
Johnson’s announcement came with some anticipation. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs had reported during the bye week that Benedet would “likely” replace Jones in the starting lineup against the Commanders, but Johnson had said that it was “too early” for him to say with certainty whether they would make a change at the left tackle spot.
Sep 14, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Now, though, Benedet is locked into making his second career NFL start — and first at left tackle — against the Commanders on Monday night in the prime-time window.
Benedet will now take over as the Bears’ starting left tackle for at least one game, but he will need a good performance against the Commanders to ensure he keeps his new role.
Benedet delivered mixed results in his first start against the Raiders. While he drew an unflattering — and team-low — overall offensive grade (38.7) from Pro Football Focus for his performance, the tale of the tape showed far more bright spots in his game.
May 9, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson (R) speaks during the Rookie Minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
During his early snaps on the right side, Benedet struggled to hold in check All-Pro pass rusher Maxx Crosby — as one does — and yielded two pressures and two quarterback hurries. Once the Bears moved him over to the left side to take over for Jones, though, he did not allow a single pressure on Williams from his side for the rest of the game.
While encouraging, though, Benedet has still only played 95 career offensive snaps as an NFL offensive tackle, 68 of which he played against the Raiders. The Bears clearly seem to believe Benedet can give them an edge over Jones, but that does not mean that Benedet cannot forfeit the role back to him if he struggles against the Commanders.
Jul 24, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson speaks during training camp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
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