Bears have met with Houston OT Josh Jones twice ahead of NFL Draft

There are no shortage of roster needs for the Chicago Bears, especially on the offensive side of the ball. But perhaps one of Chicago’s biggest concerns is the offensive line, which has questions at both guard and tackle.

Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones is someone the Bears appear to be interested in, as they’ve met with him at least twice ahead of the NFL Draft later this month.

Jones had a private visit with Chicago before the coronavirus outbreak, and he recently met with them through FaceTime, according to Draft Wire’s Justin Melo.

#Houston OT Josh Jones was able to make private visits w/ the #Titans & #Bears prior to COVID-19.

Here's a list of teams he's met w/ via FaceTime: #Jets, #Ravens, #Packers, #Vikings, #Buccaneers, #Colts, #Cardinals, #Chargers, #Bears, #Patriots, #Eagles, #Broncos & #Chiefs.

— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) April 8, 2020

The Bears have addressed offensive line this offseason with the addition of new offensive line coach Juan Castillo, as well as the free-agent signing of Germain Ifedi. While Ifedi played right tackle most of his four-year NFL career, he figures to compete for the vacant right guard spot.

While Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie will be the starters at left tackle and right tackle, respectively, their future beyond 2020 isn’t as certain. If the Bears decided to part ways with Leno next offseason, they’d save $6.2 million in cap space with a dead-cap hit of $5.1 million. For Massie, the Bears would save $5.4 million in cap space with $3.9 million in dead money.

If the Bears target an offensive tackle in the NFL Draft, they’ll be building for the future. Jones is considered one of the top offensive tackles in this year’s draft class. Jones played mostly at left tackle during his collegiate career, and he’d figure to be the heir apparent to Leno should the Bears decide to part ways with him.