NEWSLETTER
The idea of the Chicago Bears drafting a butt-kicking offensive tackle is something that continues to pop up.
Perhaps Notre Dame’s Joe Alt is something on the team’s radar.
NFL Network draft guru Daniel Jeremiah opines Alt could be someone the Bears target in a trade-up scenario. Jeremiah even offers up a potential trade partner for Chicago:
Only 54 words, but they provide so much to consider.
While exploring potential draft-night trade spots, Jeremiah found himself envisioning the Bears and New York Giants doing business. Jeremiah even goes as far as to suggest the Bears move up from pick No. 9 to selection No. 6 to select Joe Alt. That isn’t a name I was thinking when it came to trade-up targets. I can’t say I saw this angle coming. To be clear, it is not that I would be against it if it that is how it shakes out. But a trade-up for an offensive tackle wasn’t on my BINGO card. Maybe it should’ve been.
MORE: I Wonder if the Bears Kept a Close Eye on Joe Alt at Notre Dame Pro Day
Alt is a two-time All-American, has notable measurable (6-8, 321 pounds, 34 1/4 inch arms, 10-inch hands), and is viewed as the top offensive lineman prospect in this draft class. No wonder Jeremiah can see Alt as someone who the Bears would trade up to take in the draft.
Should the Bears trade up to draft Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt?
Even though the Chicago Bears offensive line was better than it has been credit for in recent years, I still struggle to consider it a strength.
Pro Football Focus ranked the Bears offensive line 19th among 32 teams last year. It isn’t great. Heck, it isn’t even good. But it isn’t awful. If you’re the optimistic type, you’d see where Chicago grades out as a relative win. After all, wouldn’t you consider moving out of the bottom third of offensive line units into the middle tier a step in the right direction? My verdict is a yes. Would this be a small victory? Sure. But small steps forward aren’t inconsequential. And we should celebrate the little wins when we get them because life is too short to not do so.
Don’t get me wrong. I think the group can be a strength. But between Teven Jenkins’ injury risk, being uncertain how Nate Davis based on last year’s uneven season, and not having seen Coleman Shelton play center in Chicago, there are enough question marks to give me pause. Hence, I’m open to the Bears targeting an offensive lineman who can be an impact player in the trenches. And that is where drafting someone like Joe Alt enters the picture.
Firstly, I love the idea of putting Alt and Darnell Wright on the same offensive line. Using top-10 picks in consecutive seasons on bookend tackles is a concept that is rooted in logic. Secondly, it makes a ton of sense to go that route when your team is also about to invest the No. 1 overall pick in a quarterback — presumptively, USC’s Caleb Williams. Moreover, when you consider how much we (as fans) have collectively griped about uneven offensive line play, we should be open to the idea of trading up to lock in a stud left tackle prospect. And yet, I’m not as on board as you might otherwise expect.
This is where I mention that Braxton Jones is a perfectly cromulent left tackle. Last year, ESPN’s analytics had Jones down for 93 percent pass-block win rate — which was fifth-best among offensive tackles. For good measure, Jones put up a 79 percent run-block win rate that ranked as the sixth-best in the league last season. Pro Football Focus doesn’t seem to be as high on Jones, ranking him 35th among 81 qualifying offensive tackles in 2023. But that still puts him comfortably with a middle-of-the-pack grade that suggests he is a starting-caliber left tackle. Since we know that worthwhile starting offensive lineman don’t just grow on trees, let’s not take what Braxton has done for granted.
Plus, he is just one season removed from earning PFWA All-Rookie Team status.
Oh, and he still has two years left on his rookie deal.
The folks at OverTheCap.com have Jones’ cap number for the next two seasons being $1,059,887 (2024) and $1,174,887 (2025). Compare that to Jordan Mailata, who the Philadelphia Eagles recently made the 10th-highest-paid left tackle in football. Mailata’s cap numbers moving forward are $10.441M (2024), $13.352M (2025), and $26.364M (2026). Given that data, it should be easy to realize a few things about Braxton Jones. At a minimum, your takeaway here should be that Jones a good player at an important position and isn’t being paid at the top of the market — which should allow the Bears to use the cap savings to fill in spots elsewhere on the roster.
An average or above average starting left tackle on a rookie-scale deal (one for a Day 3 pick, no less) is such a tremendous value. So much so that I wonder how good Joe Alt has to be to consider him a significant enough upgrade from Jones. Not only that, Alt has to be a significant enough upgrade from Jones *AND* play well enough to where we don’t lose sleep over trading future assets to move up and get him. Again, I wouldn’t be opposed to the move. But I’d worry that this would be the kind of move that would have me questioning if they are maximizing the asset that is the No. 9 pick.
In the end, I find myself thinking this: Joe Alt is a quality prospect. But is he good enough of a prospect to trade away future draft capital while also displacing a proven starter on a bargain of a contract? I suppose there is only one way to find out.
