This offseason, the Chicago Bears have been busy trying to give Caleb Williams a stronger supporting cast. Yet, despite the moves, there’s one position first-year head coach Ben Johnson is worried about—the left tackle spot. For him, it’s the one area that hasn’t given him enough confidence heading into the new year.

And when you talk about the blindside, it’s impossible not to bring up Williams’ rookie nightmare. Last season, defenders sacked the young QB a brutal 68 times, and that’s a number no franchise cornerstone can afford to repeat. Johnson made it very clear where his focus is right now, saying, “We’ll go as long as we need to go to find the right guy. But we’d like to see someone go ahead and make it clear to us that he is that guy, and we just haven’t seen that yet as a staff. There’s been too much up and down,” via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. That statement alone tells you the urgency—this job is open, but patience is running out.

Therefore, all eyes are now on a group of four linemen battling for that job. Braxton Jones, rookie Ozzy Trapilo, second-year tackle Kiran Amegadjie, and former undrafted free agent Theo Benedet are all in the mix. After the recent matchup against the Bills, though, Johnson specifically pointed to what he wants from Braxton Jones. Particularly if he will be the one safeguarding Williams during Sunday games.

To put it bluntly, Johnson said, “To me, it’s consistency. He’s showing flashes of his old self. And yet there’s still been some low moments where I know we’re going to get beat in this league.” Johnson didn’t stop there, adding, “When you’re playing tackle against some of these pass rushers in this league, you’re going to lose a record too.” He stressed it’s about bouncing back and not giving up quick losses. As he put it, “If we’re going to lose, we want to lose slow,” while also noting the run game helps keep the offense on schedule.

In other words, Johnson wants mistakes managed, not multiplied. Protection doesn’t have to be perfect, but it needs to keep Williams upright long enough for the offense to stay in rhythm. But the irony is, Braxton Jones didn’t even play in the Bears’ 38-0 win over the Bills. What caught more attention, though, was Johnson’s willingness to shake things up with his staff.

In the second half, OC Declan Doyle took over offensive play-calling, while DBs coach Al Harris handled the defense. That little wrinkle showed Ben Johnson isn’t afraid of tweaks if it means improvement. So while he continues demanding more from his left tackle group, he’s also experimenting with coaching changes to get this Bears team on the right track.

Ben Johnson’s OL coach assessment of Braxton Jones

For the Bears, everything this season circles back to the offensive line, and that’s where new OL coach Dan Roushar steps in. After Chicago gave up a league-high 68 sacks last year, his arrival was part of the big coaching reset. But heading into the second preseason game, the picture at left tackle still feels blurry, and Roushar has been upfront about what he sees in Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright.

Meanwhile, the chatter around Wright is a mixed bag. Yes, he was the one reliable piece in a line that struggled last season, but Roushar isn’t letting that slide him into comfort. Instead, he’s pointing out the inconsistencies that keep popping up in Wright’s game.

In fact, Roushar didn’t sugarcoat it when talking about his right tackle. “A little bit too inconsistent,” he said, adding that Wright tends to dip when fatigue sets in or focus fades. But then again, when the young lineman locks in, Roushar admitted he’s seen flashes that get him excited. That’s the problem, though—stacking good plays together hasn’t been his strength yet. As Roushar put it, his job now is to push Wright into that next level of growth.

On the flip side, Jones hasn’t exactly helped his case either. Roushar pointed to last week’s joint practice with the Dolphins where Jones looked sharp—balanced, strong, and dependable. But by Sunday’s game, that progress vanished. “You reverted back,” Roushar told him, stressing that the standard has to stay consistent if the Bears want to count on their left tackle.

At the end of the day, Chicago’s line as a whole still hasn’t hit the bar Roushar expects. Unless they flip the switch soon, Soldier Field could be staring at another long, frustrating season in the trenches.