LAKE FOREST, Ill. (104.3 The Score) — The Bears have set up a competition for their starting left tackle job, one that began in earnest Monday morning as the team strapped on full pads for the first time in training camp.
The Bears are evaluating Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills Jr., Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie at left tackle. Jones and Wills are the two favorites to win the starting job, but Benedet and Amegadjie are included in the mix.
With the Bears now engaging in full contact in practice, head coach Ben Johnson is eager to truly evaluate the competition.
"It's consistency for me," Johnson said. "We're judging the ability to block these defensive ends one-on-one, and then the ability to cut off on the back side of our wide zone scheme is huge for us. There's things in and out. I think each one of those guys is probably a little bit stronger in certain areas than the other guy. When we look at it, who's the most consistent player that we think is going to help us on a weekly basis?
"Braxton has been great, Jed is firmly in the mix, Kiran got some reps with the ones, I think Theo is worth mentioning as well."
There's a different feel to the left tackle competition now than in 2025. A year ago, Jones was struggling in his return from offseason ankle surgery. Then-rookie Ozzy Trapilo – who's likely out for this entire season with a knee injury – fell out of the mix during training camp. Benedet emerged as an unlikely option for the starting role as Amegadjie continued to scuffle.
Jones, Benedet and Trapilo each started at left tackle during the 2025 season. In the Bears' loss to the Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs, they shifted All-Pro guard Joe Thuney to left tackle.
The main difference this year is that Jones is now fully healthy.
"Oh, night and day," Jones said. "Last year, I mentally wanted to be there, but I physically was not. That battle, a lot of people would never understand. I’m so blessed for that battle and I just thank God, genuinely, for showing me his light. I didn’t understand it at the time and the things I had to go through then, but it was definitely a lot tougher. I’m just so blessed to be on the side of health right now and to be able to fully move in a capacity over 90, 95% and before it was nothing close to that."
The 27-year-old Jones is a four-year NFL veteran who was the Bears' primary left tackle prior to 2025. He returned to the Bears on a one-year deal this offseason, giving him the chance to prove himself again at full health.
The 27-year-old Wills is Jones' main competition for the starting job. Wills was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and had 58 games (57 starts) under his belt prior to 2025.
Wills then missed all of the 2025 season to undergo a femoral osteotomy, which realigned his femur and hip. Like Jones, Wills has reported for training camp feeling healthy and is eager to compete.
The Bears are also eager to see Wills at full strength.
"He was a very powerful player," Johnson said. "And so it's hard to say that yet. Hopefully, we'll see over the course of the next few days, next couple weeks if that continues to be the case. He hasn't played football in a while, so you're a little bit like where's the confidence level at?
"We got a really good group of guys that continue to ascend and get better. Hopefully, it's a really difficult decision for us."
Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.
