Ozzy Trapilo had an interesting 2025 season, to say the least. He was the Bears’ second of three second-round draft picks out of Boston College, and while the offensive line desperately needed to add depth at tackle, Trapilo had mostly been a right tackle in college. Given his relative lack of experience on the left side, his transition to a new-ish position was very much a question mark. Because while the lineman was praised for his discipline and fundamentals, his versatility and his ceiling were seen as unknowns by many.
Ozzy Trapilo’s 2025 Snapshot
Things started a bit slow for Trapilo. The 6-foot-8-inch, 312-pound tackle struggled to adjust to the left side during training camp and the preseason while in competition for the starting job with Braxton Jones (who was coming off an injury) and (eventually) Theo Benedet. Despite getting chances to win the job in the preseason and out of camp, Trapilo never really grabbed the opportunity, leading to Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson and his staff opting to go with Jones as the Week 1 starter. It’s not as if Jones was great. Instead, it was almost as if Jones won the position by default.
Trapilo’s first action came in Week 4 when the Bears took on the Raiders in Vegas. With right tackle Darnell Wright out, Theo Benedet (and not Trapilo) started in his place. Eventually, Benedet kicked over to the left side with Jones moving to the bench, which led to Trapilo coming in on the right for the second half. While the rookie wasn’t outstanding, he did more than hold his own against Maxx Crosby over the course of his 40 snaps.
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn ImagesIt wasn’t until Week 12, though, that Trapilo would be interested in the starting lineup. Theo Benedet was a bit banged up on the left side, and he wasn’t really blowing anyone away either, so Trapilo was given the nod at left tackle against the Steelers. He put up an impressive performance against Pittsburgh, which saw him take some reps against T.J. Watt. From that point on, he never gave the starting job back.
Well, until his brutal injury in the playoffs.
Trapilo had a solid six-game stint as the Bears’ starting left tackle, and he made it look like his job for the foreseeable future. But then, late in the Wild Card game against Green Bay, the rookie tackle suffered a ruptured patellar tendon. Not only was he lost for the rest of the playoffs, but on Tuesday, Bears General Manager Ryan Poles revealed he will also miss most of next season, as well.
Bears GM Ryan Poles said they are preparing to be without starting LT Ozzy Trapilo for most of the season.
— Kaitlin Sharkey (@KRoseSharkey) February 24, 2026All in all, on the field, it was a good (and pleasantly surprising!) rookie campaign for Ozzy Trapilo. After struggling in camp and the preseason, not a ton was expected from him despite being a second-round pick, but when the regular season concluded, he had pretty firmly grabbed that starting left tackle spot going forward. Certainly, playing next to someone like All-Pro Joe Thuney at left guard did wonders for his development.
But I loved how Trapilo didn’t let a slow start to his rookie season derail it entirely. In fact, the opposite happened. He worked hard, he developed, and he improved. Hopefully, he can use that same work ethic to get back from his brutal knee injury and be the same player he was before he went down.
By the Numbers
Starts: 6 Snaps: 567 Pressures: 22 Hurries: 14 Sacks: 3 PFF Run-Block Grade: 68.5 PFF Pass-Block Grade: 70.3 PFF Season Grade: 72.4Ozzy Trapilo’s Contract Status
(Contract details and figures are courtesy of Over The Cap)
Trapilo is entering Year 2 of his rookie contract and is scheduled to make $1.75 million this upcoming season, which will account for 0.56 percent of the team’s salary cap. There is not much to keep an eye on here with Trapilo and his contract. He still has three full seasons left with Chicago and will undoubtedly be back in 2026. It’s just a matter of how healthy he’ll be.
Turning The Page
There is a whole lot of uncertainty surrounding not only when we’ll see Ozzy Trapilo back on the field for the Bears, but also if he’ll be the same player he was pre-injury. What he’s got going for him is that he’s still young (he won’t turn 25 until October), and when he comes back, there won’t be much of a learning curve, as he already knows the offense and made huge strides in his development last season. Plus, he will still have Joe Thuney at left guard to help him out.
What he has going against him, though, is that this is a difficult injury to come back from. While younger players generally have an easier time coming back from injuries like this one, Trapilo’s size (6-8, 312 pounds) makes the comeback trail that much more difficult. Given how large his frame is, it can take a little bit longer for knee injuries to fully heal.
Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn ImagesThis injury was such a bummer. It really did look like the Bears had a left tackle for the future, but one bad break brought back a whole bunch of uncertainty. I do think we’ll see Trapilo back at some point next season. As mentioned, while Poles confirmed at the NFL Combine on Tuesday that the second-year tackle will miss much of next season, it does sound like he expects him back at some point. So, maybe all of year two won’t be a loss.
It will be very interesting to see how the Bears address the left tackle position this offseason. Do they sign a free agent stopgap? Do they draft someone on the second or third day of the NFL Draft? A lot of that is obviously still unknown, so when camp rolls around in July, I think we’ll have a better idea of wha Poles and Johnson realistically expect from Trapilo next season.
OTHER 2025 CHICAGO BEARS SNAPSHOTS
Quarterback Caleb Williams Tight End Colston Loveland Safety Kevin Byard III Defensive end Austin Booker Wide receiver Luther Burden III Running back D’Andre Swift Running back Kyle Monangai Left guard Joe Thuney Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds Linebacker D’Marco Jackson Kicker Cairo Santos Receiver DJ Moore Tight end Cole Kmet Punter Tory Taylor Cornerback Kyler Gordon Cornerback Jaylon Johnson Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson Wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus Safety Jaquan BriskerHence then, the article about ozzy trapilo thrived as a rookie but will he be available in 2026 was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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