Fans can often have a knee-jerk reaction to draft picks when they don’t contribute immediately on the field these days. In years past, young players often took two or three years to fully mature in the pro game. Yet the immediate success of some prominent names have raised the bar to unreasonable standards. That is what is happening to Ozzy Trapilo. The Chicago Bears drafted the young tackle out of Boston College in the 2nd round. They loved his size, athleticism, and maturity as a blocker. However, the Bears already had a right tackle in place with Darnell Wright.
Initially, Trapilo was thrown into the left tackle competition against Braxton Jones and Kiran Amegadjie. However, Ben Johnson chose to end that experiment and moved him back to right tackle. Since then, he’s remained inactive on gamedays. That could be about to change. The latest injury report on Thursday wasn’t a welcome one. Five players didn’t practice, including Wright, who is nursing an elbow problem. If he can’t go, it means Trapilo will suit up for the first time this season.
Ozzy Trapilo is one step closer to his opportunity.
Now, there is a chance Wright may still try to play. He did finish the game against Dallas last Sunday despite suffering the injury midway through it. The Bears might be giving him time to rest. If they decide to shut him down, they will likely go with Theo Benedet at right tackle with Ozzy Trapilo as the primary backup. Benedet replaced Wright in the game against the Cowboys and played well. He’s earned the chance. If he struggles, though, the coaches may look to Trapilo. Reports are that he was far more comfortable and effective once he moved back to right tackle in practice. He’s had time to acclimate to the new offense. This is one of the reasons the Bears drafted him. They probably knew their depth would be tested at some point.
