The Chicago Bears haven’t come any closer to solving their left tackle problems. For the second year in a row, a competition in training camp yielded no results. Braxton Jones once again appears on the cusp of winning by default because every other option has been worse. Theo Benedet, Jedrick Wills, and Kiran Amegadjie all struggled at different points this preseason. Even Jones had some rough moments. It’s just that he is a little more consistent. One thing is undeniable from all of this. Ozzy Trapilo can’t return quickly enough.
Everybody was stunned at the news that the former 2nd round pick had returned to practice just eight months after tearing his patellar tendon in the playoffs. It was a medical marvel. Still, this didn’t immediately indicate when Trapilo actually starts playing again. Is opening day even possible? Probably not. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune made it sound like the Bears have no intention of rushing Trapilo back that fast. They intend to make sure he is absolutely 100% recovered, mentally and physically, before getting him out there. That means one course of action.
Ozzy Trapilo likely ends up on Injured Reserve.
My hunch is the Bears will move Trapilo to injured reserve either simultaneous to forming the 53-man roster or right after. There just isn’t enough time for him to be game ready, and remember what Ben Johnson said: They want Trapilo to be able to build back his confidence.
I referenced in last week’s mailbag that if the Bears, in hindsight, felt they might have pushed Braxton Jones a little too quickly last summer in his return from a serious injury, that’s a good reason to proceed cautiously with Trapilo.
Folks will ask what a timeline for Trapilo being on the field looks like, and I don’t think anyone can provide the answer. If he winds up starting the season on injured reserve, he’ll be sidelined for at least the first four games. That shouldn’t disappoint anyone. Returning in the first half of the season would put him significantly ahead of where the team envisioned he might be back when the offseason program began.
This approach is probably the smart one.
The Bears learned some tough lessons last season with Jones. It became apparent even before the start of last season that the left tackle wasn’t healthy. It felt like he’d rushed back early for training camp, not wanting to lose his job. While commendable, it ultimately hurt his performance on the field. After a month, the coaches had seen enough, benching him in favor of Benedet, who in turn was benched for Trapilo. One can safely assume the Bears don’t want to repeat the same mistakes with him.
Even if he’s feeling recovered, that does not mean he is ready to play. His conditioning isn’t where it needs to be yet. One can’t expect him to get there in just a few short weeks. He needs time. The Bears cannot afford to rush the process. They view Ozzy Trapilo as a core piece of their future on offense. That means doing things the right way to make sure he is around in the long term. If that means sacrificing a month’s worth of games, so be it. The Bears likely feel they can survive four games with Jones in the lineup.
🔥 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.
The Bears already have proof of concept.
Remember, it took a long time for them to ramp up Austin Booker when he returned from his knee injury last season. Some wondered if there had been complications. In reality, that was probably the first example of the team learning its lesson from the Jones situation. Thus, when Booker returned in the second half of the season, he actually played quite well. He was a big part of their push in December to lock up the division. The hope is they can now repeat this approach with Trapilo.
It’s fair to assume the young tackle is anxious to get back. He wouldn’t have attacked the rehab process so fervently if that weren’t the case. He may feel he can play opening day. After all, there is still a month to go before week one. That is plenty of time to get himself in shape and back up to speed. This is a situation where the team must protect the player from himself. Trapilo will play in 2026. He’ll just have to wait a little longer. A few extra weeks won’t hurt anything.
