LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Thomas Brown confirmed the anticipated Monday morning, that left tackle Braxton Jones is done for the season.

He suffered an ankle injury that will require surgery, which he’ll undergo shortly so he can rehab and be ready for next season. Per NFL Network, Jones suffered a fractured fibula, though the Monday report says he’s still undergoing tests. A four-month rehab is predicted, which will give him plenty of ramp up before training camp starts next summer.

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While isn’t good news, it’s a decent outcome after a Sunday incident that prompted the entire to team to go onto the field and huddle around Jones before a cart took him to the locker room.

It was a difficult turn to be sure, considering the Bears have failed to adequately replace Jones when he has been injured. The veteran has dealt with a knee injury and a concussion already this season, and Larry Borom and Kiran Amegadjie have struggled in his stead.

The Bears have used 21 different offensive line combinations this season, per the Chicago Sun-Times, without the continuity that benefits such a position group.

“It sucks having our guys go down because you do kind of get a feel for how they block and how they block together,” said quarterback Caleb Williams, who praised the entire position group for handling difficult situations. “Having those (Jones and left guard Teven Jenkins) go down, you don’t have as many reps with a couple of the other guys, in a way, you don’t lose the connection, but it’s a little different.”

Jenkins has missed games and consistently struggled to finish. Right tackle Darnell Wright, the most talent player up front, was hurt earlier in the year. Center Coleman Shelton has been the only offensive lineman to start every game at his position.

There has been major flux around that spot, with relatively poor depth unable to meet production of the primary starting five. That has hurt the offense as a whole, with an inability to consistently generate openings in the run game between the tackles especially. It has also impacted pass protection, where quarterback Caleb Williams has been sacked a league-high 60 times through 15 games.

“I think health has a big part of it,” interim head coach Thomas Brown said. “I think when you have different moving pieces, guys playing in multiple different spots, left side, right side, starting, backing up, as you mentioned — O-line is a big continuity position, so having those five guys in unison as much as you can, taking reps to communicate things properly to get the same looks over and over again. (Without continuity,) that makes it difficult.”

A lack of quality depth makes it difficult as well.

All of those current issues aren’t going to work long term. General manager Ryan Poles simply must ramp up his investment in the offensive line after failing to do so outside of Wright, a top 10 pick in 2023.

An overhaul could happen at that spot, with Shelton, Jenkins and right guard Matt Pryor all set to hit unrestricted free agency. The Bears have plenty of cap space to add veteran talent, on the interior especially, and could well re-sign the talented but oft-injured Jenkins.

And it would be downright shocking if Poles didn’t use at least one of his three picks in the first and second rounds on an offensive lineman. In fact, LSU offensive tackle Will Anderson has been linked to the Bears in the top 10, and there are some top-tier interior linemen who could be available with a trade down.

The Bears have Williams and productive receiver talent. It’s time to improve the offensive front, which at times held the team back this season. The line shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for offensive struggles, but they’ve part of the problem along with several other sore spots.

One only need to look across the sideline on Sunday to see what heavy and smart investment in the line can do for an offense. Three of their five starters were drafted in the first round.

Free-agent offensive linemen, even the centers these days, draw big money. Poles swung and missed on Nate Davis, so he’ll have to be better with a signing from the outside.

If he can do that this offseason, the Bears offense should be much better in 2025.