LAKE FOREST, Ill. (104.3 The Score) – Bears head coach Ben Johnson hopes to have the team’s left tackle position settled with a starter soon. That has been wishful thinking to date.
In less than two weeks, the Bears will begin prep work to face the Panthers in their season opener. They have yet to name a starter at the key position protecting quarterback Caleb Williams’ blindside. Perhaps that could change as soon as Tuesday or in the coming week, but a clear answer hasn’t yet stood out amid the underwhelming competition.
Fifth-year veteran Braxton Jones will likely start at left tackle for the Bears to open the season. He has started 44 games at that position over the last four seasons and has proved capable in that role.
But the Bears didn’t hand Jones his starting position right back as training camp began. They wanted to see how he’d respond at full health once again. Jones wasn’t at his best form to begin the 2025 season as he worked back from ankle surgery following an injury late in the 2024 season. He then suffered a knee injury in October and was sidelined for the rest of the season.
Jones has received many of the of first-team reps at left tackle, especially since returning from a minor injury that sidelined him a week of camp. He started against the Bengals on Saturday and committed a holding penalty that set back a drive by the Bears’ starting offense.
The Bears have moved Theo Benedet – who started eight games in 2025 – back into the fold. Jedrick Wills Jr., who signed a one-year deal in March, has effectively been removed from the competition and Kiran Amegadjie, a third-round pick in 2024, has struggled and never truly been a factor for the starting job.
The possibility now looms that Ozzy Trapilo can push for the starting left tackle job. He returned to practice on Aug. 16, just more than seven months removed from a torn patellar tendon. That injury was initially expected to keep Trapilo sidelined for most of this season.
A second-round pick of the Bears in 2025, Trapilo stepped in as the starter at left tackle for the final six games last season. He seemed set as the long-term option at the position before the devastating knee injury during the Bears’ victory over the Packers in the wild-card round in January.
Trapilo still hasn’t been cleared for full contact. He accompanied the Bears in Cincinnati last week but wasn’t ready to step into a full role. Once Trapilo is cleared, the Bears will have a decision to make.
The Bears will need to decide whether to thrust Trapilo into the competition for the starting job or if it’s better for him to focus on regaining his full health and best form. For his part, Jones knows well the difficulty of returning from a significant injury and performing at a high level.
Jones is playing on a one-year deal and has the chance to prove himself again as a starting tackle in the NFL, whether that’s for the Bears or any other team evaluating the position. Trapilo is still seen as the Bears’ long-term solution at left tackle, but it’s a short-term decision that’s awaiting them now.
The clock is ticking for the Bears, who need a starting left tackle they can trust to help their offense reach its potential.
Chris Emma covers the Bears and the Chicago sports scene for 104.3 The Score.
