Ozzy Trapilo was not supposed to be in this situation. After tearing his patellar tendon in January against Green Bay, the prognosis was not good. Experts believe his best-case scenario is returning around midseason in 2026. Some, though, felt it was possible he could miss the entire. That is how bad such injuries can be. That left the Chicago Bears in a tough spot. Do they go for a bridge option at the position in hopes he returns sooner, or do they lay down all their chips and find a long-term option?
In the end, they went with the former. Braxton Jones was brought back on a one-year deal, while former 1st round pick Jedrick Wills was added for competition. It was hoped one of them could emerge in training camp to serve as the placeholder whenever Trapilo returned. Nobody could ever have predicted that the former 2nd round pick would return to practice a full month before the season even begins. Yet that is where things stand. Trapilo is practicing, leaving many to wonder if this means he could actually start opening day in Carolina.
Can Ozzy Trapilo defy the odds?
Well, that may not be his decision. The Bears, haunted by their handling of Jones’ health situation last season, may not wish to bring him back quite that soon. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune revealed that the team may choose a more conservative approach, wishing to ensure the absolute full recovery of a player they see as part of their future core.
Then there’s the possibility the Bears could place Trapilo on injured reserve and aim to have him available after the four-game minimum or something close to that. If that’s the case, they can get him valuable practice time in the next couple of weeks, move him to IR for a chance to keep working out and then hope he’s an option around Week 5. That still would be considerably ahead of the timetable the team loosely discussed in January and even March.
In my opinion, folks in the building are higher on Trapilo now than when he was drafted. They view him as having a good chance to be a bright part of the future. The last thing they want to do is push him along too fast and encounter a detour.
It’s hard to blame the Bears for doing this.
As incredible as Trapilo’s recovery has been, it would be naive to say he is 100%. Nobody recovers from a significant knee injury that fast. Head coach Ben Johnson understands that the key to this situation is getting the left tackle back to a state where his strength and confidence are high. That will require lots of testing of that knee in the coming weeks. Players are usually tentative about going full speed at first, nervous about whether the joint can withstand the required torque.
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Maybe Ozzy Trapilo shows something in the next few weeks. If he strings some really good practices together, it might convince the Bears that he doesn’t need the kid-glove treatment. Still, you must remember that Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles are big on looking to the future. Every decision they make must be accompanied by the question of how much it can impact the long term. Given the position he plays, the last thing they want to do is rush him back and risk further aggravating the injury.
The question they must ask is simple.
Can they still win with Jones or Benedet as the starting left tackle for a month until Trapilo is deemed ready? Well, the Bears were 7-3 last season in games where those two started. Jones wasn’t fully healthy at the time, and Benedet had fundamental concerns. Both issues have lessened since then, according to Johnson. While it’s not ideal, the Bears have reasons to feel they can survive a month with one of those two in the lineup. This way, they can be assured they did everything possible to get Trapilo ready.
Expect a decision on this after the third preseason game, just over a week from now. Trapilo will have had enough time to get into the flow of practice and truly test that knee. The final decision will rest with Johnson and offensive line coach Dan Roushar. How Jones and Benedet perform over that same span will also help steer the decision.
