Going into the playoffs, it was hard not to feel optimistic about the Chicago Bears‘ future. Colston Loveland was an emerging star. Luther Burden was ascending rapidly. Kyle Monangai had carved out a productive role in the backfield. Yet the most exciting development was Ozzy Trapilo, who’d overcome a slow start in training camp to lock down the left tackle position. Then the wild card game against Green Bay happened. Towards the end of what was one of the greatest comebacks in franchise history, Trapilo was spotted limping off the field. He did not return
News came out later that the rookie had suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. It was a devastating conclusion to an exciting year. The prognosis made it even worse. Expectations are that Trapilo will miss at least most of the 2026 season, and perhaps all of it. That speaks to the extent of the damage. Patellar injuries are some of the worst a player can suffer. However, it might be even worse than we realize. Jeff Hughes of Sports Mockery has reached out to his sources, trying to get information about the former 2nd-round pick’s status.
The responses are not encouraging.
This Ozzy Trapilo update explains a lot.
For one, the Bears haven’t provided a definitive update on his progress. All general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have said is that it will take time for him to return. Both seem braced for the likelihood he will miss this season. The fact that they still might not know the true extent of the damage suggests the injury was even worse than feared. If that is the case, it might be time to start questioning how much of a future Trapilo has. Severe knee injuries are bad for any position in football, but are especially devastating for players who carry so much weight.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
LeCharles Bentley was a Pro Bowl center for the New Orleans Saints in the mid-2000s. Many felt he was destined to become one of the best of that era at his position. Then, late in the 2006 season, he tore his patella. He never set foot on an NFL field again after that. You also had Victor Cruz, a genuine superstar for the New York Giants who’d led the way to a Super Bowl in 2011. Three years later, he tore his patella six games into the season. He only played one more year after that and retired before his 31st birthday.
You cannot downplay the significance of this injury.
The Bears already seem poised to pivot at left tackle.
Poles was spotted at the Alabama and Arizona State pro days last week. Both featured prominent offensive tackle prospects expected to go late in the 1st round. That felt like a glaring signal that the team is very serious about possibly taking a left tackle high in this draft. Initially, the return of Braxton Jones and the signing of Jedrick Wills felt like they were content to go with a temporary stopgap until Ozzy Trapilo could return late in the season or next year. Yet the longer this goes on, the less optimistic the Bears seem to become.
If the prognosis is that bad, then the organization is doing the right thing by changing course. The last thing they should do is sit around and hold out hope that Trapilo somehow fully recovers. That would be irresponsible. Injuries happen in the NFL. It is the nature of the game. We saw what happened with the Bears when they kept waiting for Kevin White to come around. He never did, and it stunted the entire offense’s growth. Johnson has no intention of letting that happen, even though he may like Trapilo. Nothing is promised in this league.
