Ben Johnson Says Bears Will Consider All Options to Replace Left Tackle Ozzy Trapilo ...Middle East

The Chicago Bears thought they had their left tackle position locked down with how Ozzy Trapilo was playing at the end of his rookie year. Unfortunately, a serious injury to the Boston College product during the Bears’ playoff win against the Green Bay Packers will keep Trapilo on the sidelines for much of the year. The injury leaves the Bears in search of a new left tackle, with Head Coach Ben Johnson essentially saying that all conceivable options are on the table.

While speaking at the league meets in Arizona on Monday, the Bears head coach told reporters that the team will consider all options as it tries to find someone to hold down the responsibility of protecting quarterback Caleb Williams’ blindside. I found this to be quite the telling pull quote via CHGO’s Adam Jahns:

Everything is on the table at left tackle for the Bears. Here is what Ben Johnson said about the position and the looming competition at the NFL annual meeting today in Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/q6uvByBPM6

Open Competition Emerges as Bears Offensive Line Seeks New Left Tackle in 2026

The bad news is that the Chicago Bears have uncertainty at the left tackle position going into the upcoming season. This is the second consecutive year in which there was a question-mark regarding who would begin the season as the blindside protector for quarterback Caleb Williams. Watching Chicago’s front office fortify the inteiror of the offensive line last year was encouraging, especially seeing how it played a huge role in Williams’ development and the improvement of the team’s running game. But that we’re back again dealing with a left tackle open competition isn’t ideal.

However, I suppose the good news here is that the Bears are going into this search with an open mind. And for what it’s worth, the front office has done well (to this point) with creating the forthcoming competition.

It begins with Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet. Jones was the primary starter at left tackle for each of the first three seasons of his pro career and began Week 1 of the 2025 campaign atop the depth chart. But Jones didn’t look like the player he was before suffering a late-season injury in 2024, which ultimately led the coaching staff to pivot to Benedet. Setbacks in 2025 are motivating Jones going into 2026.

There were times when Theo Benedet played admirably, but his development was still very much a work in progress. An injury in the middle of the year opened the door for Ozzy Trapilo to take over as the starter. But Trapilo’s injury has (once again) put Jones and Benedet in a battle to earn a starting job. Benedet might be best suited for a swing tackle role and deployed in jumbo packages as an extra blocker. However, I will not rule out the possibility of the Canadian-born Benedet in this battle.

Joining Braxton Jones and Theo Benedet in the left tackle competition is Jedrick Wills Jr., a free-agent addition who played for the Cleveland Browns from 2020 until 2024. Wills has some serious post-hype sleeper vibes coming into this race. A first-round pick (10th overall) by the Browns in 2020, Wills has been limited to 13 games since the start of the 2023 season due to a variety of injuries. But after taking off 2025 to work on getting healthy, Wills enters the fray motivated to earn a spot and show why he was a top offensive line prospect in the first place.

WHAT ARE THE BEARS GETTING IN JEDRICK WILLS JR.?

I suppose the biggest takeaway here is that Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson hints at the team being open to taking an offensive tackle prospect in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. This team has pressing needs on the defensive side of the ball, which casts some doubt on how serious Johnson is about the possibility of Chicago drafting an offensive tackle. But for what it’s worth, Bears General Manager Ryan Poles has had an eyes-on look at top prospects Kadyn Proctor and Max Iheanachor during recent pro day visits.

No, I don’t love that we find ourselves in a place where we’re digging deep into offensive tackle prospects. But I do like the idea of competition pushing out a starter we can feel good about in Week 1. In the end, my biggest takeaway here is that the Bears aren’t done addressing the left tackle position. After using free agency to find potential short-term fixes, perhaps the NFL Draft will lead to unearthing a long-term solution. Stay tuned.

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