Like my colleague Matt Rooney, I am concerned about the Chicago Bears’ left tackle situation.
Preseason Week 1 brought us clarity in the form of Jedrick Wills Jr. and Kiran Amegadjie playing their way out of consideration for the left tackle job. With Wills and Amegadjie moving to the right side of the line to prove whether they could be a swing tackle option, the door opened for Braxton Jones to cement his place as the starting left tackle. Unfortunately, Jones’ play did nothing to calm our fears about the position.
The numbers from Pro Football Focus are disheartening:
36.2 overall grade 29.6 pass blocking grade 54.4 run blocking grade 1 hurry allowed 1 pressure allowed 1 10-yard holding penalty 15 offensive snaps Braxton Jones walks on the field during Training Camp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesIf you are looking for a silver lining in the dark cloud hovering over this situation, I suppose you can find it if you look hard enough.
Maybe it will make you feel better knowing that we have three years of tape and data suggesting Jones is a starting-caliber left tackle in this league. Perhaps his disappointing performance against the Cincinnati Bengals can be chalked up to rust. After all, Jones hadn’t played in a meaningful football game since appearing on special teams last October and hadn’t played left tackle since being benched last September. Throw in the fact that this was Jones’ first on-field preseason work since suffering an injury, and I’m more than willing to give the 27-year-old some extra leeway.
Still, this was an inauspicious start for the Braxton Jones comeback tour.
And it’s not as if Theo Benedet, who played 22 snaps at left tackle, was much better.
These are Benedet’s PFF numbers from Saturday’s game in Cincinnati:
62.5 overall grade 50.4 pass blocking grade 66.6 run blocking grade 0 pressures 0 hits 0 hurries 0 penaltiesFor what it’s worth, Benedet continues to put out solid numbers as a run blocker. Given how important that aspect is to the offense, I do not want to overlook a respectable effort in that regard. But as it stands, the Bears have three offensive tackles who had opportunities to take a job that was there for the taking, and none of them actually grab it. I can’t imagine the team is pleased with this development.
Aug 22, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Bears offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (71) blocks vs. the Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn ImagesBears Offensive Line Watch: Left Tackle Situation Is Still a Mess
In addition to an uninspiring performance by all parties, Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson’s commentary on the situation didn’t make me feel any better.
This was the exchange between a reporter and the Bears’ head coach:
Reporter: “Did you see anything in the left tackle battle today that gave you any more clarity in what you were looking for?”
Johnson: “Hard to say without watching the tape.”
Later in the press conference, Johnson made it clear that he wasn’t going to have a good feel for individuals or position groups until he dug into the tape. We’ve heard Bears coaches who didn’t have answers use that as an excuse not to reflect on the obvious, but I don’t think this is that type of situation. Johnson has never been shy to express his unfiltered feelings about the team or individuals. However, it does feel like Johnson would need to go to the tape to get to an honest assessment of the left tackle situation. Frankly, I had to go back to it, too, before I started writing this post.
Where Does Ozzy Trapilo Fit Into the Left Tackle Mix?
In case you missed it, Trapilo was activated from the PUP list last week. The news came just seven months after a patellar tendon injury in Trapilo’s left knee put him on the shelf. Many believed that Trapilo could miss most (if not all) of the 2026 season. Even the most optimistic projections were expecting him to miss at least the first half of the season. But activation from the PUP list in August opens the door to a timeline that includes an earlier-than-expected return. What a pleasant surprise that would be for the Bears.
To be clear, I think it would be unfair to expect Ozzy Trapilo to come in on a white horse and save the day. He hasn’t played meaningful snaps since January and was limited to individual work in his return to practices. With less than three weeks until the regular season kicks off, it is unrealistic to think Trapilo could be the team’s Week 1 starter. That said, I’m curious to see how much work he gets in this week. That could go a long way toward telling us how long it could be until he is back on the field and at left tackle. Stay tuned.
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