LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — On Monday morning, the Bears lined up in practice for the first time with all three competitors in their left tackle position battle on the field.
Veteran left tackle Braxton Jones worked as a full participant in practice for the first time since rehabbing and recovering from ankle surgery. With that, the Bears began their left tackle competition in earnest.
The Bears ran three separate periods of team drills – working their first-team offense against the starting defense – which allowed all three tackles to shift in for live reps. Rookie Ozzy Trapilo, a second-round pick in April, stepped in for the first period. Then came Jones in his first dose of live action since last December. Second-year pro Kiran Amegadjie filled the role for the third period.
That type of rotation continued Tuesday morning in a second consecutive day of work in full pads. The Bears will reassess their left tackle position during the players’ off day Friday, head coach Ben Johnson said. He and his coaching staff will sit down with general manager Ryan Poles and the personnel staff.
“I don’t know that we’ll be at a point yet where we want to pull the trigger on anything,” Johnson said. “But we’re certainly getting more clarity every day.”
The Bears rotated Trapilo and Amegadjie at left tackle throughout the offseason program as Jones worked through his rehabilitation process. Johnson recognized that the position battle couldn’t be truly evaluated until full contact was permitted.
That began Monday, and it coincided with Jones' return to full speed.
Now entering his fourth NFL season, Jones has started 40 games for the Bears at left tackle. He suffered his ankle injury during a game last Dec. 22 and underwent surgery a week later.
Jones is now healthy and in a contract season, but he'll need to earn back his starting spot.
The Bears have four starters in place along their offensive line – left guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman, right guard Jonah Jackson and right tackle Darnell Wright. The void at left tackle still looms through the start of training camp.
For his part, Johnson isn’t putting any deadline on naming a starting left tackle.
“It takes time for the five guys to jell, it does.” Johnson said. “That’s been my experience. So, the sooner we can identify who those five guys are going to be, the quicker we’ll be at our top strength. But we got to identify who those five guys are first.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.