How many injuries can one would-be contender withstand? I'm asking for the Chicago Bears, who were putting together a stirring effort behind third-string QB Case Keenum — thrust into the starting lineup after Caleb Williams' hamstring strain and Tyson Bagent's concussion — against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. And then, somehow, disaster struck again, this time in the form of a leg injury to left tackle Braxton Jones.
Braxton Jones is out with a right knee injury pic.twitter.com/SNMLZ7IPiL
— Depressed Bears Fan (@ImBearsFan) September 29, 2026
Jones himself only earned a starting spot on the blind side to start the season because incumbent starter Ozzy Trapilo was still recovering from a patellar tendon injury. We still don't know exactly what the diagnosis is; but given the nature of the play on which Jones got hurt, it's hard not to fear something serious. And unless Chicago wants to gamble with Trapilo's future by rushing him back into the lineup, that could force Ryan Poles to get creative via trade.
Emergency Bears-Jaguars trade for Walker Little after Braxton Jones injury
Little signed a three-year, $40.5 million extension before the final year of his rookie deal in 2024. But he pretty quickly found himself replaced at right tackle by Cole Van Lanen, who's started all three games for the Jags so far this season. All of which would seem to make Little available for the right price — especially considering the significant money he's still owed.
Is Little a star? Of course not. But stars simply are not available along the offensive line at this point in the year. He's a former second-round pick with meaningful starting experience at tackle who not all that long ago played well enough for a team to invest significant cap space on him. For a sixth-round pick, that's better than the other alternatives Chicago is facing if Jones is sidelined for any period of time.
Why the Bears would trade for Walker Little
Trapilo is back at practice, but the Bears should tread very, very cautiously there. Patellar injuries are notoriously difficult to recover from, and the former undrafted free agent is already well ahead of schedule in his rehab — he went down just over nine months ago, in Chicago's Wild Card win over the Packers back in January.
Maybe Jones will avoid the worst-case scenario and be back sooner rather than later. But if Chicago has to survive without him for several weeks, thrusting Trapilo back into the lineup out of desperation, or turning to Theo Benedet, hardly inspires confidence. Little should at least raise the floor a bit and help hold down the fort; heck, if he just prevents Trapilo from risking reinjury, that alone is worth this Day 3 price.
Why the Jaguars would make this trade
Van Lanen has already stolen the starting job from Little, which has made the latter seem expendable for months now. The Jags weren't willing to pull the trigger on a deal as Van Lanen came back from injury over the offseason, but now that he's proven that he's 100 percent healthy, moving on from Little is a no-brainer.
He holds a $14.5 million cap hit this year and a $15.55 million cap hit next year. That's money all but wasted on a backup tackle for this particular team, so they'd be getting out from a good portion of that money while gaining more draft capital along the way as well. Getting any draft capital in return is just icing on the cake.
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