The Chicago Bears have reached double-digit wins for only the second time in the past 13 years this season. A significant portion of the credit for this achievement goes to head coach Ben Johnson. His leadership and offensive genius have completely transformed the locker room in only a few months. Players are confident, energetic, and playing with a real purpose. Caleb Williams is evolving at quarterback. The running game is revived. Even the defense, despite a laundry list of injuries, leads the NFL in takeaways.
However, much of the success must go to the Bears’ 2025 draft class. Getting strong contributions from their rookies was not something they initially planned. Circumstances made it difficult to avoid. To the surprise of many, multiple Bears draft picks have stepped up. Colston Loveland is 16th in the NFL in receiving among tight ends. Wide receiver Luther Burden gains the fifth-most separation on routes run in the league. Kyle Monangai is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and is 319 yards away from cracking 1,000 for the season. Yet those three aren’t the ones who have Johnson the most excited.
That is left tackle Ozzy Trapilo. The head coach gushed about the progress the 2nd round pick has made since being demoted in training camp to Jeff Joniak on ESPN 1000.
Ben Johnson has every reason to love the Trapilo development.
Remember, the rookie was a right tackle in college. The Bears moved him over to the left to compete with Braxton Jones in camp. Things seemed to start well, but during the preseason his progress stopped. Rather than force the issue, Ben Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar decided to shift him back to the right side. It wasn’t because they’d lost faith in him. Rather, it was more that they felt he wasn’t ready yet. Theo Benedet took over the starting job during the season after Jones regressed. It looked like he’d hold the job the rest of the year.
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Then Benedet suffered a quad injury.
Trapilo was forced into the lineup. Across the last four starts, the rookie has allowed eight pressures. Keep in mind this was against teams that rank 3rd (Browns), 5th (Steelers), 12th (Eagles), and 15th (Packers) in sacks. That includes Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and T.J. Watt. For Trapilo not to get railroaded like most rookies would is a testament to his talent and the progress he’s made.
Johnson has every right to be excited. Left tackle was the last spot on the offensive line that was a question mark for the Bears. If Trapilo builds on what he’s shown over the past month, the Bears may have found their guy.
