The Chicago Bears went into last Saturday with several questions to answer regarding their left tackle competition. Braxton Jones wouldn’t play because of a minor knee injury. That gave Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie a big opportunity to make a case for themselves. A strong performance from either could put them in the driver’s seat for that starting job. Instead, both of them disappointed. Amegadjie gave up three pressures, and Wills allowed the ugliest sack of the game.
At the following practice, head coach Ben Johnson made changes. Wills and Amegadjie would start working at right tackle, while a returning Jones and persistent Theo Benedet would duke it out on the left side. Ozzy Trapilo, who returned from his knee injury, doesn’t seem anywhere close to full speed. That means there is a strong possibility one of Jones or Benedet will be the starter come opening day. Based on what just happened during the Bears’ joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals, the decision might as well be cemented already.
The Chicago Bears are right back where they started last year.
It is crazy how little has changed. At this time in 2025, the team was in the same spot. Nobody had established themselves as the clear starter at left tackle. So Johnson shook things up, pushing Benedet into the mix to battle with Jones. It didn’t change much. The plucky young blocker couldn’t make enough headway in pass protection to overtake his counterpart. Jones ended up claiming the job for the start of the season. This was a chance for Benedet to show he’d learned important lessons from that experience.
Instead, the lasting image of that practice will be him allowing back-to-back sacks to a guy whose career best is 5.5 in a season. Not a great look. Maybe the Bears will let him try to regain his footing in the preseason rematch on Saturday, but it’s hard not to feel like such a performance was a backbreaker for his hopes. Barring another injury, Jones should be considered the likely choice for next month in Carolina. The only thing that can stop it at this point would be Trapilo somehow being ready in time.
🔥 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.
This entire situation underscores an organizational decision.
Let’s not forget the Chicago Bears deserve some blame for being in this spot. Drafting Darnell Wright was a terrific decision. He’s developed into one of the NFL’s best. However, they have repeatedly passed on opportunities to find left-tackle help, opting for bargain options. Jones was a 5th round pick. Benedet was an undrafted free agent. Amegadjie was a 3rd round pick from the Ivy League. Wills was a bust from another team. No big contracts or top draft choices were spent on the position.
How different might things be if they’d taken Olu Fashanu at #9 in 2024 instead of Rome Odunze? While the team is likely happy with their young wide receiver, that doesn’t change the fact that the decision came with consequences. It left arguably the second-most important position on their offense unresolved. Hopes are high that Trapilo is the solution to everything. He was playing really well last season before injuring his knee. If he regains that form, the Bears won’t have to go through this mess again in 2027.
