Jones to start at LT for Bears, Odunze continues to miss practice due to injury

Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze missed practice for the second consecutive day Tuesday as he deals with an undisclosed right foot or leg injury. Coach Ben Johnson called Odunze “day to day” and noted that the injury is not the same foot injury that nagged Odunze for much of last season.

The Bears, who open the season Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, don’t have to release their first official injury report until Wednesday. For the portion of practice that was open to the media Tuesday, Odunze appeared to be the only notable absence.

“We’re hopeful he’ll be ready to go on Sunday,” Johnson said.

Running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai were on the practice field for the second consecutive day. Swift is back after tweaking something last week, while Monangai has been working through a hyperextended knee for several weeks.

Here’s what else we learned at Halas Hall.

1. Braxton Jones will start at left tackle against the Panthers.

Johnson named Jones the Week 1 starter Tuesday. That’s not a surprise; the practice reps indicated as much for a while now. But it doesn’t necessarily mean Jones has the job locked down.

As with every position on an NFL roster, the job is his until it isn’t. In other words, he has to keep proving himself. The good news is Jones is far healthier than he was a year ago, when he won the starting job out of training camp but eventually found himself on the bench.

Jones was coming off a major ankle injury a year ago. While he was technically healthy, he said he didn’t have the same confidence in his lower half. A year later, he’s in a much better place physically and mentally.

“We have these super hard practices,” Jones said. “I’m just so thankful. A year ago, there was no chance I would’ve been able to do that. The confidence in my brain is everything. Now it’s just taking it one play at a time. One rep, whatever that is, and knowing that’s going to be my bank into the game and just taking that confidence into the game.”

Jones suffered a minor knee injury partway through camp. He said Tuesday he was dealing with some tendinitis in his right knee. But he rebounded quickly and reasserted himself as the team’s best current option at left tackle.

The Bears have swing tackle Theo Benedet and second-year tackle Ozzy Trapilo waiting in the wings. Both started for stretches last year.

Trapilo is the wild card. Now he’s the one coming off a major injury — a torn patellar tendon suffered in the January playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. General manager Ryan Poles indicated then that Trapilo might miss much of the 2026 season, but he returned to practice Aug. 16 and made the 53-man roster.

It’s notable that Trapilo didn’t go on injured reserve to start the season, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be available anytime soon. So far he has participated in only individual drills during practice, not any team work.

“We want to make sure he’s maximizing the number of padded opportunities he gets as he’s continuing to get better every single week,” Johnson said. “So I think it’s a matter of time. I can’t say it’s in the near future. I know he’s working his tail off.”

Jones knows the left tackle job is his only as long as he performs well.

“I’m still challenged by this football team each and every day,” he said. “So I’m still growing and always will be for the rest of my life. But from this injury to the position battle, I’m just so grateful because I’ve learned so much about myself.”

2. The Bears elected five team captains.

The captains, voted on by players, are quarterback Caleb Williams, left guard Joe Thuney, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, linebacker T.J. Edwards and kicker Cairo Santos.

Just like last season, the list includes two players on offense, two on defense and one special teams representative. Williams, Thuney, Jarrett and Santos were captains a year ago. Edwards takes the spot vacated by safety Kevin Byard III, who joined the New England Patriots in free agency.

Williams has been a captain in all three of his seasons.

“It’s an honor,” he said. “It’s something that I don’t take lightly and … it’s really cool, to be honest.”

3. While Rome Odunze’s status is unclear, Luther Burden III is good to go.

If there was any doubt, Burden said he is ready to face the Panthers this week. The second-year wide receiver missed more than three weeks of practice in the middle of camp with a groin injury but has been back on the practice field since Aug. 26.

“I’m right where I left off,” Burden said Tuesday.

That could be especially important if Odunze is unable to go this week.

Burden hurt his groin after getting tangled up with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson on Aug. 8. That came after Johnson continually talked him up, even going back to the spring when he said he would be “ buying Luther Burden stock.”

“Of course I hate being hurt and being on the sideline,” Burden said. “I like to go out there and make plays, have fun with my teammates and do what we do. Nobody likes being hurt.”