A New Contestant Has Entered the Left Tackle Competition ...Middle East

My ears perked up when Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson name-checked Theo Benedet as one of the offensive linemen who would spend time playing left tackle in the team’s preseason opener. Days later, we saw Benedet split time with Ozzy Trapilo playing in relief of starter Braxton Jones in the Bears-Dolphins exhibition game. And on Thursday, Benedet saw some time at left tackle with the first-team offense at practice.

And then this tweet crossed my timeline and certainly has my attention:

Early walk through saw Braxton Jones at RT and Theo Benedet at LT with first team. #Bears

This is the first time that I can recall Braxton Jones spending time at Bears camp playing right tackle. Jones is a fifth-round pick in 2022 who was part of GM Ryan Poles’ first NFL Draft class and has spent the entirety of his career at left tackle. The Southern Utah product played there in rookie camp, the first batch of minicamps, during his maiden voyage as a preseason competitor, and has been in that starting left tackle role for all 40 games he has appeared in since debuting. So that Jones spent some time at practice at right tackle stands out as a bit of noteworthy news.

MORE: BRAXTON JONES REFLECTS ON INJURY, RECOVERY, AND THE LEFT TACKLE COMPETITION

Perhaps the Bears are experimenting for the sake of it. Maybe they are preparing contingency plans in case starting right tackle Darnell Wright has to miss some time. It is possible that the team put Jones in that position to see if he can play the swing tackle role if push comes to shove. Whatever the reasoning is, that it is happening means that Theo Benedet is getting an opportunity to strut his stuff at left tackle.

Theo Benedet joins the competition for the Bears’ starting left tackle gig

The Bears could very well be trying Braxton Jones at right tackle because they want to give Theo Benedet an extended look as a possible left tackle option. No matter the reasoning, I am into the decision. After watching so many offensive linemen go down with injuries in recent years, it feels imperative that everyone on the line has experience at every offensive line position. This isn’t to say that the Bears should be playing musical chairs with the line. That unit truly needs stability. But because no team goes a full season without an offensive lineman missing a snap, it would behoove players on the roster to have some familiarity with positions that aren’t their primary spot.

And if that means a three-year starter at left tackle has to get some practice reps on the right side of the offensive line, then so beit.

In discussing the state of the unit, Offensive Line Coach Dan Roushar (via The Athletic) explained why the team had Ozzy Trapilo (another combatant in the starting left tackle competition) on the right side. He also shared this quoe about Theo Benedet’s emergence as a potential starter at left tackle:

“There’s a lot of things to really like about Theo. He’s had probably as much improvement as any player we have in the group. With that, there’s a lot of things for him to improve on, and he knows that, and we’ve got to work on it. He is working his tail off. He has put himself in a position to go compete for a job somewhere in this group.”

The race to become the Bears’ starting left tackle for Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season is still too close to call. And that the team is adding Theo Benedet as another possibility to the mix at this stage of the summer suggests we aren’t all that close to seeing this team declare a winner. With that being said, one player who seems to be losing ground in this race is Kiran Amegadjie.

Between an injury that caused Amegadjie to miss a few practice sessions and his placement on the depth chart as the backup right tackle, it feels like the Yale product is on the outside looking in at the left tackle competition. And if things keep trending the way they are now, he could be in a battle for a spot on the season-opening roster if Theo Benedet jumps him on the depth chart. Stay tuned.

Hence then, the article about a new contestant has entered the left tackle competition was published today ( Thursday 14/08/2025 - 08:08 PM ) 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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