Chicago Bears Inactives vs. Detroit Lions

The inactive list for the Chicago Bears’ Week 16 matchup against the Detroit Lions is out … and it does not includes left tackle Braxton Jones. This means the Bears will have their starting left tackle for their Thanksgiving rematch against the Lions. At this time of year, the small gains feel big.

Jones has been Chicago’s primary starting left tackle since his rookie year in 2022. Since entering the league, Jones has been a solid, steady and reliable presence protecting the blindsides of Justin Fields, Trevor Siemian, Nathan Peterman, Tyson Bagent and now, Caleb Williams.

MORE: Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright are trending in the right direction

Braxton Jones is not the NFL’s best left tackle. But at this point in his career, Jones may be underrated — if only because solid yet unspectacular performances aren’t appreciated as they probably should be. Jones is Pro Football Focus’ 20th-highest graded offensive tackle with a grade of 76.3. To put that into perspective, Kiran Amegadjie’s grade in Week 15 was a team-worst 39.5. A reminder that things could always be worse.

Chicago Bears Week 16 Inactive Vs. Detroit Lions

This is what Bears’ inactive player list looks for their Week 16 matchup against the Lions:

• Travis Homer, running back
• Cornerback Ameer Speed
• Linebacker Noah Sewell
• Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr.
• Offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr.
• Offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie

The only surprise among the list of Bears inactive players is offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie. Six days ago, Amegadjie was the team’s starting left tackle, pushed into the starting lineup in a pinch. But fast forward to game day, and the Yale product is a healthy scratch. That feels telling about how the Bears feel about the rookie right now. This doesn’t mean Amegadjie can’t still develop into a useful piece in the offensive puzzle. But to me, a healthy scratch in Week 16 after being the starter on Monday Night Football might as well be a public declaration that the rookie is very much on.

Here are the Bears’ healthy and available offensive linemen today: Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Matt Pryor, Darnell Wright, Larry Borom, Jake Curhan and Chris Glaser.

We’ll have more for you later this morning in our pregame post.