Bears Legend Reveals Why Theo Benedet Replaced Braxton Jones

Olin Kreutz has been among those who haven’t stressed much about the Chicago Bears’ left tackle situation. In his mind, you get what you pay for. If your lowest-paid player is your left tackle, you should expect the performance to be less than ideal. The bigger issue is whether the highly touted players, such as high draft picks or pricey veterans, are performing. That is why you should be focused on Darnell Wright, Joe Thuney, and Drew Dalman. However, Kreutz wasn’t surprised by the Bears’ decision to bench Braxton Jones in favor of Theo Benedet.

He told 670 The Score that the embattled left tackle wasn’t doing himself any favors in recent weeks. The pass protection issues were well-documented, but it was likely the three mistakes Kreutz saw in the run game against Las Vegas that got him pulled. While he doesn’t think Benedet is a huge improvement, there are a few things the second-year tackle does that convinced the Bears to give him this opportunity.

He’s better with timing silent counts and is more efficient in the running game. Whether that is enough to keep the job remains to be seen.

Theo Benedet has some issues to fix.

The primary concern with him coming out of college was his length. While he has good size, his arms are under 32 inches long, which is painfully short for an NFL tackle. That meant if Theo Benedet was ever going to survive, he needed excellent technique. Kreutz claims he has a consistent problem with ducking his head. Doing that can lead to serious issues because it makes it impossible to react to fakes, stunts, or other movements and limits the ability to adjust the block. Smart pass rushers feast on tackles who do that.

Benedet is a tough, strong, and determined blocker. What he wasn’t coming down from Canada was polished. His progress since last season can’t be understated. There is a reason Ben Johnson trusts him to take over such an important spot. However, this doesn’t mean Benedet will hold it for long.